Evaluating
Evaluating Information Sources
A research paper has a thesis. That thesis needs to be supported if the reader
is to be convinced. That support needs to come from a convincing source. As
we've shared before, some random guy blogging out of his mom's basement does NOT
necessarily convince anyone he is an expert. Your job is to CHECK and EVALUATE
each and EVERY source you would like to use to support your thesis. You do this
BEFORE you being referencing that source in your research.
The following is solid criteria for evaluating a source, weeding out the weak
and ineffective ones so your argument will be well supported. Again, this is
expected of you.
Mr. Janes will check each and every one of your
sources, be they print or electronic. In order to do so, you must do the
following:
1) By the deadline (preferably on the due date), turn
in all printed sources to Mr. Janes. They will be returned the following day.
2) Check any electronic links (URLs) you cite in your
Works Cited page. If you cannot copy/paste one as it appears
into a browser and go to that EXACT page, then you did not copy/paste the URL to
the Works Cited page in the first place.
Failure to correctly do both will result in an
incomplete grade for this assignment.
Answer ALL of the following questions BEFORE
you decide to cite/use a source:
One good thing about using an online bibliography tool is it does a lot of
this work for you. Not that I am SUGGESTING you use such a tool but if you
do, that's a definite pro.
|
General Evaluation Criteria
|
Evaluation Tips for the Web
|
#1:
PURPOSE
(Is it honest?) |
What is
the author's goal? What is the purpose of the publication? To inform? To sell or
advertise? To
entertain? To persuade? |
- Look carefully for
hints that reveal the site's purpose
- Many sites are
supported by advertising that might influence the content
|
#2:
AUTHORITY
(Is this an expert?) |
Who is
the author and what are his or her qualifications? Who is the
publisher? |
- It may be difficult
to determine author's or publishers & their qualifications
- Search for an
author or organization's name in a library catalog or on the Web or Google
the source itself.
|
#3:
ACCURACY
(Is it correct?) |
Is the
information accurate? How does it compare with other information? |
- Almost anyone can
publish on the Web and this work may not be verified by editors or fact
checkers
- Find statistics
from a variety of sources to confirm data
|
#4:
OBJECTIVITY
(Is this data cherry-picked, partially
truthful or a distortion?) |
Is the
information biased? Does it promote one perspective above others? |
- Goals/aims of
persons or groups are often absent or unclear
- Who is the intended
audience? Watch for language or ads that attempt to persuade readers to a
particular point of view
|
#5:
CURRENCY
(Does the age of the source match your
topic?) |
Is the
information recent enough for your needs? |
- Dates are sometimes
absent or misleading on the Web
- Determine if the
date indicates when web pages were created, revised or posted
|
#6:
COVERAGE
(Is it too general? Remember the
WikiPedia Rule: Great as a spring board for other resources but NEVER as a
source itself.) |
Is the
source complete enough for your needs? Is any information missing? |
- Often less in-depth
than print or other media coverage
- Web coverage may
provide unique features not available elsewhere
|
Table source credit:
Lynn Kanne and
Jane Shoop, Librarians, Seattle Central Community College
For other online references to evaluating information sources in general and on
the web, see:
Fair Use:
http://www.ghs.seattleschools.org/content/library/evaluation.php
Some external resources used with permission:
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
| 
