Evaluating Sources of Information
Getting Started:
There's a lot of information out there, not all of which is
trustworthy…
We live in an information age. The quantity of information available is so
staggeringly huge that we cannot know everything about a subject. For example,
it's estimated that anyone attempting to research what's known about depression
would have to read over 100,000 studies on the subject! There's the problem of
trying to decide which studies have produced reliable results.
Similarly, for information on other topics, there's not only a huge quantity out
there but a very uneven level of quality. You don't want to rely on the news in the
headlines of sensational tabloids near supermarket checkout counters, and it's just
as hard to know how much to accept of what's in all the books, magazines,
pamphlets, newspapers, journals, brochures, Web sites, and various media reports
that are available. People want to convince you to buy their products, agree with
their opinions, rely on their data, vote for their candidate, consider their
perspective, or accept them as experts. In short, you have to sift through a lot of
information and make decisions regarding sources all the time. You want to make
responsible choices that you won't regret. Remember that your arguments are only
as good as the sources you use to support them.
Evaluating sources is an important skill we need all the time. It's been called
an art as well as work--much of which is detective work. You have to decide where
to look, what clues to search for, and what to accept. You may be overwhelmed
with too much information or too little. The temptation is to accept whatever you
find. But don't be tempted. Learning how to evaluate effectively is a skill you need
both for your course papers and your life.
When writing research papers, you will also be evaluating sources as you
search for information. You will need to make decisions about what to search for,
where to look, and once you've found material on your topic, whether to use it in
your paper. Remember that your arguments are only as good as the sources you
use to support them.
Ask yourself some questions before you start…
What kind of information are you looking for?
Do you want facts? Opinions? News reports? Research studies? Analyses? Personal
reflections? History?
Where would be a likely place to look?
Which sources are likely to be most useful to you? Libraries? The Internet?
Academic periodicals? Newspapers? Government records? If, for example, you are
searching for information on some current event, a reliable newspaper like the
Toronto Star will be a useful source. Are you searching for statistics on some aspect
of the Canadian population? Then, start with documents such as Canadian census
reports. Do you want some scholarly studies of Social Science topics? If so,
academic periodicals, journals and books are likely to have what you're looking for.
Next…
Look for sources. When you find one that looks good, check the citation.
After you have asked yourself some questions about the citation and determined
that it’s worth your time to find and read the source, you can evaluate the material
in the source as you read through it.
Steps to Evaluate a Source:
1. Read the preface.
What does the author want to accomplish?
2. Browse through the table of contents and the index.
This will give you an overview of the source. Is your topic covered in enough depth
to be helpful? If you don’t find your topic discussed, try searching for some
synonyms in the index.
3. Check for a list of references or other citations that look as if
they will lead you to related material that would be good
sources.
4. Determine the intended audience.
Are you the intended audience? Consider the tone, style, level of information, and
assumptions the author makes about the reader. Are they appropriate for your
needs?
5. Try to determine if the content of the source is fact, opinion,
or propaganda.
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If you think the source is offering facts, are the sources for those facts clearly
indicated? Do you think there’s enough evidence offered? Is the coverage
comprehensive? (As you learn more and more about your topic, you will
notice that this gets easier as you become more of an expert. )
Is the language objective or emotional?
Are there broad generalizations that overstate or oversimplify the matter?
Does the author use a good mix of primary and secondary sources for
information?
If the source is opinion, does the author offer sound reasons for adopting that
stance? (Consider again those questions about the author. Is this person
reputable?)
6. Check for accuracy.
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How timely is the source? Is source 20 years out of date? Some information
becomes dated when new research is available, but other older sources of
information can be quite sound 50 or 100 years later.
Do some cross-checking. Can you find some of the same information given
elsewhere?
How credible is the author? If the document is anonymous, what do you know
about the organization?
Are there vague or sweeping generalizations that aren’t backed up with
evidence? Are arguments very one-sided with no acknowledgement of other
viewpoints?
***Before you read a source or spend time hunting for it, begin by
looking at the following information in the citation to evaluate whether
it’s worth finding or reading.
Author
Credentials
To consider how reputable the author is, ask yourself the following questions:
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What is the author’s educational background?
What has the author written in the past about this topic?
Why or how is the person considered an expert?
Your goal is to get some sense of who this person is and why it’s worth
reading what that person wrote.
References
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Did a teacher or librarian or some other person who is knowledgeable about
the topic mention this person?
Did you see the name listed in other sources?
When someone is an authority, you may find other references to this person.
That is not a guarantee that the person is reputable, but it does indicate a
reason to think the person is worth reading. If you are seeking viewpoints on
a subject, it is useful to read this person’s writing because you should be
aware of various views and perspectives on many sides of an issue.
Institution
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What organization, institution, or company is the person associated with?
What are the goals of the institution or organization?
Does it monitor what’s published? How rigorous is that review process?
Might this group be biased in some way? That is, are they trying to sell you
something or convince you to accept their view? Do they do disinterested
research? (Don’t be convinced by the name of the organization because some
disguise their agenda by selecting a name that does not indicate what their
real goals are.)
Timeliness
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When was the source published? (For Web sites, see if there’s a "last revised"
date at the bottom.)
Is that date current enough to be useful, or might there be out-dated
material?
Is the source a revision of an earlier version? If so, it is not only likely to be
more current but also something that is valuable enough to revise. Check a
library catalogue or Books in Print to see which is the latest edition.
Publisher/Producer
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Who produced or published the material?
Is the publisher reputable? For example, a university press or a government
agency is likely to be a reputable source that reviews what it publishes. That
helps to ensure some quality control over the material.
Is the group recognized in the field as being an authority?
Is the publisher likely to be an appropriate one for this kind of information? Or
might the publisher or group have a particular bias on this topic? (For
example, if you are looking at a Web site for a particular candidate for office,
is the site sponsored by people trying to elect that person or opponents of
that candidate?)
Is there any sort of review process or fact checking? (If a pharmaceutical
company publishes data on a new drug it is developing, has there been
outside review of the data?)
Audience
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Can you tell from the title (and perhaps the publisher) who the intended
audience is?
Is there a point of view being promoted? Sometimes, sources of information
are really infomercials promoting the cause or product or bias of a particular
group.
Might the material be too scholarly, too specialized, or too popular to be
useful to you? (A three-volume study on gene splitting may be more than you
need for a five-page paper on a particular genetically transmitted disease. But
a half-page article on a visit to Antarctica won’t tell you much about research
into ozone depletion going on there.)