As you select, access, and locate information you should be reading and evaluating what you find for relevance to your assignment. Things to look for include:
Accuracy
- What sort of information is it - facts, opinion, conjecture?
- Is there evidence of bias?
- Is the source of the information clearly stated? Is it original?
- Can the information be verified in other sources?
- Is there an e-mail or a contact address/phone number for the author?
Authority
- Is the author identified?
- Is there a sponsor (educational institution, professional association, government agency)?
- Where is the document published? If website, check URL (.edu, .org, .gov, .mil, .com, etc).
Coverage
- Are the links (if any) evaluated and related to the theme?
- How detailed is the information?
- Are there links to the 'other side' of the debate?
Currency
- Is the information out of date?
- When was it produced?
- If website, when was it last updated?
- Are there a lot of dead links?
Objectivity
- What are the author's goals?
- Is there a slant or bias?
- What is the purpose?
- View any Web page as you would an infomercial.
- Ask yourself: why was this written and for whom?
Purpose
- Who is the intended audience?
- Is the treatment scholarly or popular?
