IMPORTANT!
You are about to read a lot of information about evaluating sources and deciding if they are ones that you should use for your research project. REMEMBER: Evaluating sources should be EASY. The harder it is to find the information you need to evaluate a source's suitability and reliability, the more likely it is that it is a poor source of information, and you should move on to one that is more trustworthy.
Identifying Reliable and Suitable Materials:
Your major goal when looking for research material should be to find as many reliable and suitable sources of information as possible. Do not assume that you are reading high-quality information just because it appears in print or on the Internet.
Using sources from the school library, like online databases and library print materials, takes some of the guesswork out of choosing research material. The school librarian reviewed the materials in the library collection and determined that they are reliable. But how do you know if a reliable source of information is suitable for your project? Moreover, how do you know if the results of your Google search have turned up anything useful or if the materials from another library will meet your needs?
When you want to know if a source of information will be useful for your assignment, ask yourself:
Using sources from the school library, like online databases and library print materials, takes some of the guesswork out of choosing research material. The school librarian reviewed the materials in the library collection and determined that they are reliable. But how do you know if a reliable source of information is suitable for your project? Moreover, how do you know if the results of your Google search have turned up anything useful or if the materials from another library will meet your needs?
When you want to know if a source of information will be useful for your assignment, ask yourself:
Is it C.R.A.A.P.?
C |
Current? |
Look for the publication date, copyright date or date when the site was last updated. These are usually found at the front of a print source, near the top of an article or near the bottom of a webpage.
|
R |
Relevant? |
It helps to look at multiple sources before seriously diving into your research, so you will be more confident about judging a source's relevance.
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A |
Author? |
Look for biographical information at the back of the book or on an ‘About’ or ‘Contact’ page on a website. Also look for information about the editors, advisory board or editorial policies that determine how material is evaluated before publication.
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A |
Accurate? |
Trust an article that is supported with accurate research and evidence. Noticeable errors of fact or even grammar show that a publication was not carefully researched and edited before publication, so look for a better source.
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P |
Purpose? |
Many publications have strong biases and may not fairly present all the information on your research topic. Look for sources that are trying to inform or teach their audience about their topic. Try to find sources that present information in a fair and objective way, relying on facts, and not opinions, to support their claims.
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Additional Considerations for Web Sources:
Anyone can publish information on the Internet, so you must be VERY CAREFUL when using web sources for your research. Try using the following acronym to help you remember what to look for when evaluating information from the Internet:
Is it R.E.A.L.?
R |
Read the URL |
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E |
Examine the content |
|
A |
Ask about the author |
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L |
Look at the links |
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Red Flags for Web Sources (If you see a lot of this stuff, RUN!)
- The author’s name is their username (e.g. PrincessSparkle) instead of their real name (e.g. Vivian Delgado).
- When you read the author’s ‘About’ page, it lists things like hobbies and interests (e.g. "I love anime, drawing and soccer) instead of credentials (e.g. "I have a Ph.D. in Roman history and currently teach about ancient Mediterranean civilizations at the University of Toronto).
- There is no information about the author or publisher of the site.
- The domain name is not very professional (e.g.www.partyrockers.blogspot.com) or it is published by a free web hosting service (e.g. Wix, Google Sites, BlogSpot, Weebly, Wordpress, Blogger).
- The information is posted on a school or teacher run website and appears to be from student projects posted online. Students learning how to conduct research may make serious, if unintentional, mistakes, and you don't want those mistakes ending up in your work. Elementary and high school students are also not considered experts in their field.
- There are poor graphics, broken links and other visual indicators that the site is not actively maintained and updated.
- The last site update was a very long time ago or there is no information about when the site was last updated.
- The information you find on the site doesn’t match information you have already researched from sources you know to be reliable.
- Some or all of the content is offensive. If the author seems racist, sexist, homophobic, etc., information from their site is likely extremely biased and inaccurate. Using information from such a site could make you appear equally prejudiced.
- The website has more advertising space than information. This is a sign that the developer chose a popular topic (like WWII) and posted a minimal amount of information (possibly even plagiarized from a better site) in order to attract people using search engines to their site. They make more money if they get more views, so their focus is on creating content that fits popular search terms, not creating accurate content.
Why is Wikipedia not a reliable source?
Sites like Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers and Answers.com are based on user-generated content. This content changes constantly, and its accuracy varies widely. Users do not need to prove that they are experts in their field to contribute content to these sites. The same entry may be written by one or many authors, but none of them will receive credit.
The short answer: You can’t use Wikipedia and sites like it because you can’t write a proper citation for the information you find there.
Your way around this issue: A good entry on one of these sites will cite its sources (usually hyperlinks within the article or at the end of the article). Go to these sources to get the information for your project (provided they are reliable).
The short answer: You can’t use Wikipedia and sites like it because you can’t write a proper citation for the information you find there.
Your way around this issue: A good entry on one of these sites will cite its sources (usually hyperlinks within the article or at the end of the article). Go to these sources to get the information for your project (provided they are reliable).