You might be wondering why you need to evaluate sources you access using library resources. Isn't accessing credible sources the point of using the library? It's true that the library helps you identify and locate credible and scholarly sources, but it’s still good practice to evaluate them, just like you evaluate your online sources.
We evaluate sources to:
Now that we know why, let's explore how to evaluate sources you access using the library. We recommend using five criteria: relevance, authority, credibility, purpose, and timeliness.
The first step when you're evaluating sources is to define your information need. For assignments and projects for your classes like this one, you can check the assignment requirements for what sources you need. These requirements will usually include the number of sources you need to use. The requirements might also specify different types of sources (like news articles, scholarly journal articles, video, and so on) you need to include, but sometimes you can choose whatever type of source you want.
You'll also want to check what you need the sources for. Do you need to develop a topic? Present a broad overview of a subject? Make a persuasive argument? Compare different viewpoints on a topic? The sources that will be most helpful, and therefore most relevant, will be different depending on what you need to produce. For more information on identifying the best type of resource for your information need, visit our How To Distinguish between types of publications guide.
If you look at a source and it doesn't meet the requirements or doesn't help you complete your assignment, there's no need to evaluate it further.
When we talk about authority in the library, we mean the expertise of the author and the reputation of the publisher of a source. Think of authority like the "Who wrote this?" question you learned about in your Credibility of Online Resources lesson. Just like in that lesson, you can verify authority by searching for information about the author and publisher.
How you define expertise can vary. What makes the author an expert on this topic? What kind of educational, work, lived, or other experience do they have that supports their expertise?
A couple of things to remember when assessing expertise:
So where can you find this information?
Scholarly journal articles don't typically include biographical blurbs for authors, but they do usually identify an author's institution, company, research lab, or other affiliated organization. Here are two examples of where to find this information in the database record for the article and on the article itself:
Author information sometimes isn't listed in newspapers and magazines. This doesn't mean the source isn't credible; it just tells you that you need to research the reputation of the publication and its publisher.
As you gain expertise in your field, you'll learn about who the reputable publishers are. As a general rule, university presses (like Harvard University Press) and academic publishers (like Springer) have good reputations. Other publishers that typically publish more popular works written for a wider audience (like HarperCollins) are also generally recognized as reputable. You can confirm a publisher's reputation by searching Google for publisher websites, Wikipedia entries, and other publicly-available information about the publishers.
When we talk about credibility in the library, we mean how accurate and reliable the information provided is. Think of credibility like the "Where does the author get their information?" question you learned about in your Credibility of Online Resources lesson. Just like in that lesson, you can verify credibility by checking the author's sources and searching Google to confirm the information included.
Here are some things to check when looking at an author's sources:
You can also verify credibility by checking if the source is peer-reviewed. Academic articles and books are usually reviewed by other experts before they get published. The reviewers often provide valuable feedback to the authors, which helps make the final product more accurate and reliable.
Think of purpose like the "What is the author's point of view" and the "Why did the author write this?" questions you learned about in your Credibility of Online Resources lesson. Just like in that lesson, you can assess purpose by analyzing the content of the source. Your authority searches might also turn up helpful information for verifying purpose.
Here are something things to think about when analyzing purpose:
Think of timeliness like the "When was this written?" question you learned about in your Credibility of Online Resources lesson. In most cases, you should look for sources published in the last 5-10 years, unless your assignment requires more recent or older materials. Ask yourself if the content is still relevant and accurate. Your credibility verification can help you determine this if you aren't sure.
Now you can bring all five criteria (relevance, authority, credibility, purpose, and timelines) together to evaluate sources you access using the library. Remember to look at the source itself and the sources it references while you're also using Google to search for more information when assessing these criteria.
These criteria are not standalone. If a source doesn't meet one of these criteria, that doesn't mean that you can't use it. Take it as a sign to continue to explore: you might find other sources that support or refute it. And if you're ever unsure or have questions, ask your instructor or a librarian. We're here to help!