In today's information
age, the challenge is to sort through a huge amount of sources available and
identify those that are reliable and appropriate. Whether you find information
in books and periodicals, on the Internet, or on television, you cannot assume
it is reliable. You are responsible for evaluating information and judging its
- The source should
provide the name, education, or experience of the authors or sponsors
and tell you why they are qualified to write about this subject.
- Sources that do
not give this information have questionable reliability.
- The information
should be published at a time appropriate for the subject matter discussed.
- The author should
support his or her statements with data or references to research.
- If there is not
a list of "Works Cited," verify this information in other
sources and cite those sources in your paper.
- Read the source
you are evaluating to avoid using sources that are biased.
- Choose at least
some articles that are peer-reviewed or refereed or come from scholarly
journals that report research.
- Verify that an
authoritative organization (a government agency, an educational institution,
or an unbiased organization ) sponsors a Web site.
- Establish that
a Web site has a list of criteria that must be met before material is
- Select sources
that include the information you need and are written at a level you