Checklist for Evaluating Information Sources

Author

¾    Is the author identified?

¾    What are the author qualifications and affiliations (where does he/she work)?

¾    Is the author or organization an expert in the field?

¾    What else has the author or organization published?

¾    Has he/she published scholarly books and articles as well as popular articles or websites? [web site specific]

Publisher

¾    Who published the book?

Association [web site specific]

¾    Is the site a government or university site?

Current

¾    When was the information published? Is it up to date?

¾    Has it been revised or updated?

¾    Does your topic require up-to-the minute research? [web site specific]

¾    When was the site last updated and are its links active? [web site specific]

Bias

¾    Does the book present information in an objective manner?

¾    Is more than one viewpoint of an issue represented?

¾    If only one side is presented can you determine the bias?

¾    *Try to gather information from a variety of sources and viewpoints in order to avoid bias!

Documentation

¾    Does the author clearly cite sources?

Audience

¾    Who is the intended audience? Adults, children, public, academic?

¾    Is it trying to persuade the reader or simply inform?

¾    Does it use emotional language or neutral language?  

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Charles W. Chesnutt Library, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, N.C. 28301
Page Content By: Laura Bell Wright   Contact jwhitfield@uncfsu.edu
Last Updated: 5/19/05