Evaluating sources means investigating to make sure that the information you find is authoritative, accurate, and non-biased.
Here are a few questions you should be prepared to answer about any information that you plan on using in your research:
-Does the TITLE sound right? -Is the AUTHOR an authority on that subject? (Check his/her biographical information). -Is the information SCHOLARLY or POPULAR in nature? -Does the information contain a BIBLIOGRAPHY? -Is the information up to date and CURRENT? -Is the information OBJECTIVE? (does the author have an obvious "agenda" or point of view that they are trying to promote?)
What is AUTHORITY?
Authority refers to the author/creator of the website.
We need to know who is responsible for putting together a website. We need to know if the website has been created by somebody who knows what they are talking about.
Questions to ask when evaluating authority: -"Who created this website?" -"What does he/she really know about the topic?"
What is ACCURACY?
Accuracy refers to the reliability of the website.
We need to know if the imformation on the website is true information. Since anybody can create a website, sometimes the information on that website won't be true--it'll just be a bunch of garbage.
Questions to ask when evaluating accuracy: -"Does it seem like this information can be true?" -"Does this information make sense?"
What is PURPOSE?
Objectivity refers to the objectives and intentions of the website.
We need to know what the point of view is. Sometimes people create websites to promote their personal opinions, or to convince people to think a certain way, or to do certain things.
Questions to ask when evaluating purpose: -"Is the information on this website one-sided?" -"Does the website try to convince you to think or feel a certain way?"
