HSPTR 255: Ecotourism: Evaluate Sources

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 help with evaluating all types of sources, check out the tutorials below and watch the short videos.

Evaluating web sites can be more challenging than books and articles where an author and publisher are clearly stated.  However, with no editorial or review process on the web, it is crucial to evaluate the information you find to ensure it is credible, reliable and accurate.  Below are online tutorials to help.  For more assistance, you might also want to watch the short video from CSUF Pollack Library 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

Video Source:  YouTube