When you are trying to evaluate a source, you should use these criteria: authority, currency, validity/accuracy, audience, and point of view. Examining each of these criteria will give you an idea of not only the reliability of the information, but also if the information is appropriate for your research.

Authority: You should always check the author of your information source. Anonymous works should always be considered suspect until you find other information to support the information. If an author is listed, you should check the author's credentials for publishing in your subject field.

Currency: The date of publication for your source is important. Unless your research specifically focuses on a time period, you should check to make sure that the material is not outdated.

Validity/Accuracy: Never use factual information that is not supported with a citation, unless you can find another source to verify it.

Audience: You should always be aware of the intended audience of your source. This will help you understand why the information is presented a certain way. Publications intended for fellow scholars in the field will frequently contain more jargon and require a higher level of understanding than a source intended for the general public.

Point of View: It is important to consider the perspectives (or biases) that are communicated in a source. Sometimes, facts are spun in favor of the beliefs of the author or publisher and may not paint a full picture. These are things that you will need to be aware of so that you can supplement your research with other points of view when necessary.

Proceed to Evaluating Information Chart.