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Introduction

Throughout your studies, you will need to critically evaluate the information that you find. There are a number of different evaluation methods that you can use. On this page we offer questions that you can ask yourself to evaluate your sources, as well as links to additional evaluation methods that may be useful.

Questions to consider

Author:

  • Who is the author?
  • Where does s/he work?
  • What else has the author written?
  • What qualifies the author to write on this topic?

 

Publisher:

  • Who is the publisher?
  • When was it published?
  • What type of publication is it? (Peer-reviewed journal article, academic book, government document, popular magazine, etc.)
  • What makes this publisher trustworthy?

 

Content:

  • Does the information appear authoritative and supported by facts?
  • Is the information presented without obvious bias?
  • Is the language objective and not overly emotional?
  • Is the information appropriate to your needs?
  • Can you verify the information in other sources?
  • Does the author provide a list of works cited?
  • What makes the content trustworthy?

More evaluation methods

For more ways to evaluate what you've found, check out these evaluation methods: