Why?
When doing research, it's important to find information that is accurate, reliable, and appropriate for your assignment. No matter the type of source you should always evaluate the information before you use it.
Knowing how to evaluate information can help you not only with your research assignments but also with larger life decisions. Knowing how to find accurate and relevant information can help you make decisions about graduate school, car loans, your health and more.
What to look for
In evaluating information sources, there are always certain things to look for:
- Authority
- Who wrote this? What are his/her credentials?
- Where is it published?
- Accuracy
- Do they cite their sources?
- How does it compare to other sources on the same topic?
- Currency
- Was it written around the time the topic occurred?
- Has it been updated?
- Relevance
- Does it meet your information need?
- Point of view/Purpose
- Is there bias?
- Are they trying to sell you something?
Domain names
Domain names provide a clue as to the reliability of the information available at a website, however, it is not a guarantee of quality and accuracy.
- Educational Websites--Websites ending in .edu belong to schools and universities.
- Government Websites--Websites ending in .gov belong to the U.S. government (Federal, State and Local). Information found on these sites are generally considered reliable. Click here for a complete list of U.S. government websites.
- Corporate and Organization Websites--Websites ending in .com or .org belong to businesses or interest communities. They are created to influence the viewer, to sell products or ideas.
Worksheet
Use this worksheet to help you discover information about the websites you use in your research.
Is TikTok safe?
Fake News/Hoaxes
There is a long history of using misinformation, especially in times of war, to further agendas. This type of information used to be spread by pamphlets, leaflets, and word of mouth. Nowadays, the Internet has created numerous ways for this information to spread. The good news is that there are ways to discover whether that image is accurate and those facts are true.