Evaluating Sources
When evaluating the reliability of a resource it is important to look at it's authority, accuracy, scope, currency, bias, and style. The following questions can be used as a guide when examining each of these criteria:
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Authority
- Who is the author?
- What is their experience and expertise?
- What is their affiliation?
- Can you tell what their purpose is for providing this information?
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Accuracy
- Are sources provided for facts and statistics?
- Do the sources cited seem correct?
- Are there spelling or grammatical errors?
- Is the information in agreement with other sources?
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Scope
- Is the source considered scholarly or popular?
- Is there a well-reasoned argument?
- Is the information one-sided?
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Currency
- When was the information created?
- Have there been any recent updates?
- How recent are the cited sources?
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Bias
- Why was the resource created?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Does the author indicated any conflicts of interest?
- Is the author trying to sway opinion or promote a product?
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Style
- Is the language clear and easy to understand?
- Does the source appear professional looking?
- If there are links, are they broken?
- Are figures and illustrations easy to read?
- Is the information well-organized?
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