An extremely important part of the research process is evaluating your sources. With each source, you want to answer questions such as:
• Who is the author and what is their expertise, authority and background in the area they are writing on?
• Does the information look accurate? How can you tell?
• Is it relevant to your research topic?
• Is it current enough or is the date not important?
• Is the information biased? How can you tell?
For more, watch the video below:
Evaluating websites can be more challenging than books or articles. With no editorial or review process on the web, it is all the more crucial to evaluate the information you find to ensure it is credible, reliable and accurate. For help, watch the short video from CSUF Pollack Library and check out the online tutorials below.
• Evaluating Web Sites. Tutorial from Cornell University Library
• Evaluating Web Pages: TEchniques to Apply & Questions to Ask. Tutorial from the University of California at Berkeley
• IRIS: Evaluating Web Sites. Tutorial from Clark College