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Evaluating Sources Handout Evaluating Sources A crucial step for a successful research paper is to evaluate the potential information sources and select the best information that suits your topic. Ask yourself the following questions about your sources: Criteria for Evaluating Sources What does the work cover? Is it What? relevant to my topic? If an abstract is available, read it. Scan the full text and look at the thesis, statement and conclusion. When? When was the work written? Is the information up to date enough for the topic chosen or do you need historical information Check the publication date. In fields such as medicine, science & technology, currency is important. In fields such as history & literature, older materials may be just as valuable as newer ones. Who? Who is the author or sponsor? Type the author's name in Google.com and see if you can retrieve some background information about the author. Why? Why was the work written? What was its purpose, to inform or to persuade? What was the bias/perspective/ motivation? Check who publishes or sponsors the source. How? How was the work written? Was it written at a level you can understand and use Use the chart on the next page, to help you decide if the websites you find are appropriate to use for your assignments: Wikipedia 7 Things You Should Know About . . . Wikipedia by EDUCAUSE Researching with Wikipedia by Wikipedia Using Wikipedia by Carleton College Tutorials about Evaluating Sources Credible Sources Count! by Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University Evaluating Internet Sites 101! by University at Albany Libraries Evaluating Sources of Information by VCCS Connect for Success Information Literacy Tutorial - Module 6 Evaluating Web Sites > Overview - Key Ideas by net.TUTOR. Ohio State University Libraries Evaluating Information on the Web by Drexel University Libraries Evaluate Web Pages by Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University Evaluating Web Resources by University of Arizona Libraries Many thanks to JSRCC Library and Kimbel Library for the design or information used in this guide. Last updated 03/2012