However, the .edu domain extension is reserved only for educational institutions, and the .gov domain extension is only used by governmental institutions. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. You should have a clear idea of your own research question or topic and . The last example above uses facts in a bad-faith way to take advantage of the audience's fear. For example, if you were interested in examining how scientists use Twitter as a platform, you might find yourself quoting a tweet by Bill Nye or the physicist Brian Cox. While almost anyone can produce a podcast, and topics range from discussing tv shows or books like The Bachelorand Harry Potter, other podcasts give in-depth information about science, history, anthropology, and a wide variety of other topics. You should search for additional texts on the topic to find related sources, sources in which this source is cited, and sources that cite this source in order to get a stronger picture of its intellectual relevance and value. Assess the quality of their arguments. Indeed, many articles start out by giving oneperhaps not particularly evenhandedview of the subject, and it is after a long process of discussion, debate, and argument that they gradually take on aconsensusform. My source avoids vague or grandiose claims, and writing that is too emotive or subjective. Objective language sticks to the facts, but emotional language relies on garnering an emotional response from the reader. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. Why is it important to evaluate an online source before citing it? Non-scholarly books might deal with scholarly subject matter sociology, for example, or politics. There are no glaring grammatical or orthographic errors. Newspapers can be a great way to glean first-hand information about a historical event or situate your research topic within a broader context. How do you determine if a source is credible? Some personal websites exist solely to spread propaganda or other biased information. To help determine if you are looking at credible, quality information whether it be online or in a book or magazine, consider the "Five Ws" Who, What, When, Where and Why. Evaluating Internet Resources Unlike similar information found in newspapers or television broadcasts, information available on the Internet is not regulated for quality or accuracy; therefore, it is particularly important for the individual Internet user to evaluate the resource or information. The sources the author cited should be easy to find, clear, and unbiased. Scholarly databases are your best friend when it comes to finding credible sources for research. Does the source support its arguments and conclusions with evidence? Examine source in full text (PDF or original print is preferable) for errors, organization, opinions, etc. If youre reading a fact-based source, be sure that it doesnt oversimplify the topic. by This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. It is important to consider how the author uses these sources. Be careful when ascertaining purpose. When was the website last updated? If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. First, what are the qualifications of the author? [For web sources]: The layout of my source is professional and recently updated. Audience. Evaluate Sources With the Big 5 Criteria. 3) Currency. This way, you can assess whether the source is representing the data accurately, or cherry-picking to give a misleading picture of the situation described in the primary source. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. Determine whether they're relevant to your topic. Examine the source's and author's credentials and affiliations In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Useful approaches include the CRAAP test and lateral reading. What is his or her educational background? How to Evaluate the Credibility of a Source, https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/07/17/%C5%BEi%C5%BEek-plagiarism-and-lowering-expectations-essay, https://www.angelo.edu/library/handouts/peerrev.php, https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_08.phtml, http://www.aaupnet.org/aaup-members/membership-list, https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/chapter/author-and-publisher/, https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/online-health-information-it-reliable, http://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2013/oct/21/medical-research-health, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4530930.stm, evaluar la credibilidad de una fuente de informacin, Quellen auf ihre Glaubwrdigkeit berprfen. While not all large organizations produce unbiased information, more well-known organizations will most likely provide more credible information. For example, if you were to search How to change a flat tire in a search engine, you would most likely get how-to videos and pages, rather than someone selling their car on Craigslist, because the algorithm sorts the webpages based on the keywords you input. Its important to not necessarily evaluate an online source simply based on its domain extension. 3 Ways to Evaluate the Credibility of a Source - wikiHow Thinking Skills Critical Thinking How to Evaluate the Credibility of a Source Download Article methods Source Evaluation Help 1 Evaluating Sources for Academic Projects 2 Evaluating Sources for Everyday Life Other Sections Questions & Answers Video Related Articles References Article Summary There are two key steps: Ask questions before you trust what you read or hear. To ensure you include only valid information in your research, evaluate your sources using the criteria below. PDF. However, its up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate. However, the strategies used for books, articles and websites can also be used for other types . Columbia University in the City of New York. Let us discuss each criterion in detail. A credible source should pass the CRAAP testand follow these guidelines: Peer review is a process of evaluating submissions to an academic journal. what a sources motive is. In the case of an anonymous author, you can check who published the website with, Be conscious of wording that indicates judgment. Reliability can be estimated by comparing different versions of the same measurement. Scholarly books will provide an extensive list of references to bolster their academic credibility, whereas non-scholarly books often make claims without any credible referential support. Scholarly books are often published by university presses (Amherst College Press) and professional associations (American Historical Association), whereas non-scholarly articles are published by commercial publishers (Houghton Mifflin). Note that this does not mean that all information found in well-packaged sources is credible. A database is a large collection of data, usually about one specific topic or idea. 4. For a source to be considered credible it must meet five main obligations: Currency, Relevance . For example, a journal article discussing the efficacy of a particular medication may seem credible, but if the publisher is the manufacturer of the medication, you cant be sure that it is free from bias. Yes to scholarly databases. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Popular sources like magazines and news articles are typically written by journalists. The credibility of an author is very important in determining the quality of sources you have located and are thinking of using for your research project. These texts will have scholarly credibility. However, some scholarly sources may be too dense for your particular research needs, so you may need to turn to sources with a more general audience in mind. Has the author of the article published other articles? I have checked that it is supported by evidence and/or verifiable elsewhere. [For academic journals]: My source is peer-reviewed and published in a reputable and established journal. It is an important component of information literacy. Anne Burke Associate Head, Learning Spaces & Services Video added on June 1, 2015 Credits Anne Burke: Project Lead, Storyboards Lisa Becksford: Script, Editing This is especially important for science. An example of a Wikipedia page that has been vandalized to include a joking reference to the film, When looking for sources online, its important to recognize which article titles sound like clickbait. Legitimate OERs can be a great resource. Approved. Scholarly books are written with the sole purpose of informing; they offer new ideas, criticize old ones, and present new data or theories relevant to an audience of academic scholars. Credible sources are published in peer-reviewed journals, scholarly books with lists of references, or .gov websites. These highly personal and subjective sources are seldom reliable enough to stand on their own in your final research product. By using an algorithm, SEO works by locating keywords and sorting information for relevancy and accuracy. CRAAP test Currency The timeliness of the information. Note for Purdue Students: Schedule a consultation at the on-campus writing lab to get more in-depth writing help from one of our tutors. Likewise, if you are searching for information about what restaurant to go to tonight, it's important to use current information. Does the information come from an author or organization that has authority to speak on your topic? When you verify the information in one source with information you find in another source, this is called cross-referencing or cross-checking. If the author lists specific dates or facts, can you find that same information somewhere else? Language & Education: An International Journal 27.2 (2013): 110-128. If you are going to use the Internet as your main source for information, beware! A private individual does not have the credibility needed for academic work; however, a large, established organization like the American Medical Association or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do. Make sure the source is written by a trustworthy author and/or institution. While this is a good first step, it cant tell you for sure if a source is actually relevant to your research. How you evaluate the relevance of a source will depend on your topic, and on where you are in the research process. As you examine each source, it is important to evaluate each source to determine the quality of the information provided within it. Remember, your use of sources is a means of supporting the argument you make. The information should be up to date and current. Is it a respected publication? On the other hand, some well-known organizations use a .com domain extension. Timeliness. Are your sources credible? You can also consider using an academic database like LexisNexis or government open data to get started. It is more appropriate to compare something to an objective standard than to label it with words that represent abstract concepts for example, "these and other illegal acts" is preferable to "these and other despicable acts". June 2, 2022 "Reputation And Impact In Academic Careers." A credibility checklist is a place to start, but it's engagement with the source that counts. Because anyone can produce a podcast, be aware that biased podcasts exist, and some might be used as propaganda. Copyright 2022 by The On-Campus Writing Lab& The OWL at Purdueand Purdue University. Newspapers and magazines. This resource will teach your students how to locate reliable sources and how to evaluate websites for accuracy and credibility. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Students are always told, Never use Wikipedia. Thats true you should never cite Wikipedia for multiple reasons: its written anonymously, so you cant know the credibility of the author, and its continually updated, so its not a stable source. The peer review process evaluates submissions to academic journals. If the source appears to represent an opinion, does the author offer legitimate reasons for adopting that stance? {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-9-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-9-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-9-Version-2.jpg\/aid368290-v4-728px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-9-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"