Guide to Evaluating Information Sources, John F. Reed Library, FLC
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Guide to Evaluating Information Sources

See also Evaluating Quality on the Net for issues particular to Web resources.

  1. Introduction
  2. Step by Step Source Evaluation Process
  3. Outline of Criteria for Evaluating Sources
    1. Content
    2. Organization
    3. Date
    4. Credibility
      1. Author
      2. Publisher
    5. Intended Audience and Writing Style
    6. Sources of Information
      1. Citations, Bibliographies, and Works Cited
      2. Informal Sources

I. Introduction

Evaluating information is an essential part of doing research. The value of a source depends on the purpose for which the information will be used. The selection of sources should reflect that purpose. While the following guide does not go into specific types of research, different research needs are considered in the criteria outlined below.

Look carefully at each source. Make a preliminary appraisal of the usefulness of a source before deciding whether to read it or use its information in a paper. You will also need to scan for other aspects of a work that may indicate the quality of the source. This process is described in detail in Part II, Step by Step Source Evaluation Process below.

Part III, Outline of Criteria for Evaluating Sources, is a description of general criteria useful in evaluating sources. It is not exhaustive and does not include criteria which require specialized subject knowledge critical to reviewing scholarly works and judging the quality of content.

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II. Step by Step Source Evaluation Process

  1. Search for materials using indexes, databases or the library catalog. Make a preliminary selection based on the information available in the records. Select more records than you think you will need. Some will not be useful or may not be available.
  2. Determine whether the item is available locally or if an interlibrary loan would be necessary.
  3. Scan through the book, article or other source, reviewing it according to the points in the Outline of Criteria for Evaluating Sources. Make a quick, preliminary review of the content and quality of the information.
  4. For sources which pass the initial review favorably, take written notes on each of the criteria listed in the Outline. These will be helpful for later use or for writing an evaluation.
  5. Be sure to write down the citation in the style format to ensure that you have all the bibliographic information needed for citing the work.

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III. Outline of Criteria for Evaluating Sources

  1. Content
  2. Organization
  3. Date
  4. Credibility
    1. Author
    2. Publisher
  5. Intended Audience and Writing Style
  6. Sources of Information
    1. Citations, Bibliographies, and Works Cited
    2. Informal Sources

Be sure to identify the type of source in your evaluation. This would be a book, book chapter, scholarly or popular journal, magazine or newspaper article, videorecording, music CD, multimedia CD-ROM, World Wide Web (WWW) site, or other format.

  1. Content

    Browsing through the tables of contents in books, looking over the bold titles of sections in periodical articles, and skimming through the material by focusing on summarizing paragraphs (usually at beginning or end of a chapter, book or article) are ways to quickly get an idea of subject coverage. This type of scanning and reading is a skill that is best learned by practice. You may need to look more closely depending on the type of information. At this point, do not attempt to read the complete work. You are making a preliminary appraisal of the usefulness of the material.

    • Is the information new to you? Does it provide a good overview of background information? Is it a source that describes general concepts and theories?
    • Is the material a reference source with facts, formulas and specific information that would be useful to consult often?
    • Is the information presented in an objective way that show logical reasoning?
    • Is the author presenting a particular point of view or bias? Do you expect to look for additional sources to complement it by covering other aspects of the topic or other points of view? In what way? Considering this will help in organizing further research.

  2. Organization of Content

    • Organization of content refers to how a work is structured and organized to facilitate its usefulness. Does the source have an index or similar feature for locating specific topics within it? Does it have a table of contents? Is it organized logically? Chronologically?
    • Different "formats" (journal article, book, Web page, film, newspaper article) are characterized by differences in content organization.
      Reference books which have listings or are useful for looking up facts are very highly structured. Is an index importnant? Books which build on a theory or make an argument have chapters organized to enhance the reading beginning to end, making an index less important. Think about how this organization assists the reader or fits the material presented.
      Scholarly articles will also show different features which are summarized in Common Types of Periodicals ( Lesson 3).

  3. Date of Publication or Work

    It is important to consider the date of information and publication for a variety of reasons, depending on the type of material and its use. How does the date effect the value or use of the material? Check both date of publication and the original copyright; material may be republished or reprinted unchanged from original work or it may have been revised. Also, check for edition of the publication for books. Multiple editions of a work may indicate that it has become a standard source.

    Consider the following:

    • Currency: Recently published material is not necessarily more reliable or valid. A recent publication date may indicate that it represents a current perspective, which may either limit or enhance its value. It is possible that either recent or dated material is "faddish", with limited long term value. If it is purely "news", its use may be fairly narrow or it may be an event that is so important it should be recorded for posterity. News items may also provide examples of specific practices or applications of ideas.
    • Sociocultural milieu: In writings that are interpretive or even analytic, the author's interpretation is likely to relate to the current or an earlier perspective grounded in its sociocultural milieu. This will vary, some authors write almost "for all times," transcending a particular time period. In a cursory reading, this may be impossible to evaluate. The content may cover issues that you consider not effected by historical change nor values grounded in a particular time period.
    • Scientific Relevance: In a scientific and technical work, the date should indicate the current state of knowledge for that subject unless an historical perspective is important. However, recent is a relative term. An older work may still be applicable in the sciences if the coverage is fairly broad rather than describing a narrow area of research. The significance of the publication date will likely become clearer to you with more familiarity with a field or area of knowledge. This may be difficult for you to judge without this background at this point, but try to make a general judgment. Again, beware; even in scientific research, a recent date does not mean it is "truth" or is reliable. To judge validity, you must use additional criteria.

  4. Credibility

    1. Author Information

      Author information is one of most important criteria, outside of actual content, for evaluating information. It can be used to judge the credibility of the information by appraising the individual or group responsible for the work.

      • Qualifications: Does the author have a background indicating sufficient knowledge in the subject? Such a background may include academic and professional affiliations and activities related to the subject. Or the author may have previous experience with practices described. Personal accounts may have particular value.This may also indicate the perspective or point of view that is taken by the author. Consider these aspects to evaluate the source.
      • Bias or objectivity: Does author appear to be objective or are statements of opinion given? Does the author or publisher indicate a particular purpose. Objectivity may be indicated by the inclusion of other viewpoints and the use of data and information to support statements. An author may provide objective evidence and supporting documentation. Does the author indicate a bias? Is the author associated with a particular organization or group that may have a political or social mission? If so, could that group or individual benefit directly by producing biased information on the topic covered?

      Where to look:

      First, look closely in the source itself. When authors have significant credentials and have published a number of books or articles, the author information is often in the source itself, usually given at beginning or end of article in scholarly journals or in the preface or at the end of a book. Look for a list of publications or in the "Works Cited" section. Authors often cite themselves when they have done previous, related work.

      If not found in the work itself, information about an author can be hard to find. There are many sources but few are comprehensive and the process can take a surprising amount of time. The following are suggested library reference sources:

      • Galenet -- available online by selecting Online Resources on Library Homepage. Select Biography and Genealogy Master Index, a comprehensive source for information about people which includes references to many other reference sources such as Who's Who.
      • Current Biography -- Ref CT 100 C8 -- also available online by selecting Biography from Database Searching on Library Homepage.
      • National Faculty Directory -- Ref L 901 .N34 -- useful for finding information about authors and researchers in academia.

      What else has the author published:

      • Look in the FirstSearch Worldcat database for books. This is the most comprehensive database available for book references.
      • For references to periodical articles published by the author, look in indexes and index databases such as EBSCO Academic Search, UnCover , and Periodical Abstracts (available via FirstSearch). For comprehensive searching, it is necessary to look in more than one index or database. There are many subject specialized indexes and databases. For a list of electronic indexes, look at Subject Guide to Electronic Resources. For specialized indexes not online, see Print Based Indexing and Abstracting Services at the Reed Library.

    2. Publisher and Type of Publication

        Like author information, publisher information may be a measure of credibility. This is a criterion that is most useful for periodicals, especially in identifying scholarly journals, but the book publisher may also indicate some level of review if the publisher is a specialized publisher known in a particular area. University and scholarly presses are more selective in publications. Publications from trade groups or associations may have a particular bias or advocacy stance that you would want to note.

      • Book Publishers

        • LMP: Literary Market Place -- Ref Desk PN 161 .L5 -- For many publishers, this source lists the subject specialization and/or specific audience or market.

      • Periodicals

        • Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory -- Ref Desk A 6941 .U49 -- Use section in Vol. 5 listing "Refereed Serials". This is a clear way to determine whether or not the article is published in a journal which has scholars and experts review articles for value and validity, a process called peer review. If the periodical title isn't listed there, then you need to carefully look at an issue to see how contributions are submitted and who the editors are.

        Magazines for Libraries -- Ref Desk Z 6941 .M23 -- This source gives descriptions and general evaluations of many periodical titles.

      • Organizations/ Associations as Publishers

        Galenet Encyclopedia of Associations available online by selecting Online Resources from Library Home Page.

        National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States -- Ref HD 2425 .D53 .

        These sources can tell you something about many organizations that publish material. They can be used to gather clues about an organization's credibility in publishing on a particular topic. Because these sources discuss the purposes of given organizations, they also provide information which may indicate possible biases present in their publications.

  5. Intended Audience & Writing Style

    6. Determine the intended audience of the work. Is it published for a general audience by the popular (non-specialist) press? Or, is it directed at a specialized audience: students, professionals, researchers, academics? What reading or educational level is assumed for a full understanding of content? Is specialized subject expertise assumed? Does it use a specialized vocabulary which may require the use of a specialized subject dictionary? How does that relate to its value as a source?

    An article published in a scholarly publication would be expected to have a very different writing style from a popular press magazine. Is the writing and organizational style appropriate to the type of information presented? Are data clearly presented? Are the data clearly presented to facilitate reading and interpreting detailed information, or are the data simplified for the intended audience? What effect might this have?

  6. Sources of information

    • Citations, Bibliographies, and Works Cited
      References given as footnotes or in a bibliography are a formal acknowledgement of sources the author used in producing the current work. The importance of providing references may vary according to the type of writing and subject. Academic or scholarly articles usually contain references. Citing other research or writings indicates that the author has considered other work in the area rather than just presenting his/her own thoughts in a vacuum. It shows a familiarity with the field. It may also indicate some objectivity on the part of the author.
    • Informal Sources
      Non-scholarly, popular magazines and newspapers often use experts as sources of information without actually formally citing publications. Experts may be quoted or interviewed. If experts or outside sources are not noted, consider how this affects the value of the article.

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    Page URL: http://library.fortlewis.edu/reference/evaluate.asp

    Page created January 8, 1998; revised Aug, 2000.

    Author: Minna Sellers, Library Reference Coordinator
    John F. Reed Library, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado

    Please address comments and inquiries to the author
    via e-mail at sellers_m@fortlewis.edu or via phone at (970) 247-7424.