Basic Criteria for Evaluating Sources

Ask the following questions about your sources, whether they are in paper or on the Web. Think about these questions while you are collecting your sources.

Authoritative: Who is responsible for the information? Who is the sponsor or publisher of the item? Accurate: Is the information correct and reliable? Objective: Is there a bias? Is the material designed to sway your opinion in some way? Is it propaganda or advertising? Current: How old is the information? Has it been revised? Has the webpage been updated lately? Are the links current? Coverage: How thoroughly does it cover a topic? How much of the topic does it cover? Does it add anything new to the field, or is it a summary of others' research? Audience: To whom is the author writing? Is it fellow scholars, non-experts who have a high level of knowledge about the subject, or the general public?

These pages were written by Glenn Remelts. and edited by Jeffrey L. Nyhoff and Nancy Zylstra
©2005 Calvin University (formerly Calvin College), All Rights Reserved

If you encounter technical errors, contact computing@calvin.edu.