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Evaluating Books
Evaluating Books
Before you use information from a book, take a critical look at it. Consider the following:
What is the purpose of the book? Is it to inform, to present opinions, to report research or to sell a product?
At what reading level is the book written? For what audience is it intended? Does the book contain facts or
personal opinions? Are there footnotes, bibliographies or lists of references given?
Who is the author? What are the qualifications and experience of the author?
When was it written? Does it provide the most recent information on your topic? Are the statistics and facts recent
enough for your research?
Is the content of the material what you need? Does the source cover the topic comprehensively? What evidence or
supporting documentation is presented?
Don't forget to always cite your sources.
REMEMBER that the Internet DOES NOT REPLACE resources found at your library or your public library. The Internet DOES NOT REPLACE good reference books. Before you use information from a web site, take a critical look at it.
Unlike many book sources, there is no filtering mechanism on the web. Some web sites are produced by experts; others are created by individuals as a hobby or classroom assignment. The idea is to be a careful consumer when using the Internet for research. Consider the following when evaluating web sites:
What is the purpose of the site? Is it to inform, to persuade, to present opinions, to report research, or
to promote and sell a product? What is the intended audience of this site?
Who is the author? Is the author/producer identifiable? Does the author have expertise in the subject as
indicated on a credentials page? Is the sponsor/location of the site appropriate to the material? Check the
domain name at the end of the URL. Often the domain name system can give clues to the individual or
organization behind the address.
.edu is an educational institution
.com is a commercial business and for-profit organizations
.gov is a U.S. goverment organizations
.org is a nonprofit organizations
.net is anetworking org./commercial internet providers
.mil is a U. S. military organizations
What is the scope and accuracy of the material? Does the material seem factually accurate or is it full of errors? Does the material seem useful or irrelevant? Is the material original or borrowed from elsewhere?
Is the information factual or opinion? Is any sort of bias evident? How frequently is the resource updated?
When was the site last revised? How up-to-date are the links? Does the text follow basic rules of grammar, spelling and literary composition?
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