Whether using a book, a scholarly article, or a Web site, it is important to use the following criteria to critically evaluate the information you locate:
When determining the purpose, ask yourself these questions:
- Who is the intended audience? (researchers, general public, etc.)
- Is the information level too elementary or too advanced?
- Is the purpose to entertain or disseminate scholarly information?
- Is the author trying to sell a product or a service?
- What type of information is it (opinion, empirical research, etc.?)