Evaluating Sources
Evaluating Sources
The reliability of sources is critical to constructing a quality research project. Accurate and credible sources create the foundation for an accurate and credible research project. IB requires you to evaluate all sources used in your research. There are many methods of evaluating sources, IB prefers the OPCVL (origin, purpose, content, value, limitation) method.
OPCVL
Origin - In order to evaluate a source it is important to know where it comes from. The more you know about the origin of a source, the easier it will be to evaluate the purpose, content, value, and limitations. At this stage of the evaluation determine if the source is primary or secondary.
Ask the following questions:
- Where does this source come from?
- When was the information published, posted, or last updated?
- Who is the author, publisher, source, or sponsor?
- Are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations given? What are they?
Purpose - The reason a document or other source is created helps to determine the intention of the author/creator in sharing the information. The same information may be presented differently depending on intended purpose and audience. Information may be skewed or misleading to support the creators intent.
Ask the following questions:
- What is the purpose of the information?
- What perspective is the author/creator trying to convey?
- Is the purpose clear?
- Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
- Does the point of view appear objective or impartial?
Content - In order to evaluate the value and limitations of the information, you need to understand the content and how it relates to your research.
Ask the following questions:
- What information within the source is valuable to understanding the question?
- How is the content limited to answering the question, is it detailed enough?
Value - Consider the origin, purpose, and content of your source and determine if it is relevant to your research.
Ask the following questions:
- How useful is this source?
- How can it be appointed to my project?
- Has the information been reviewed or referred (i.e.: peer-reviewed, cited in another source)?
- Can you verify the information in another source?
Limitation - This is not the place to point out the weakness of the information; instead determine at what point the source is no longer valuable. Look at the origin, purpose, and content and think about how the author’s perspective may present an incomplete picture or present a biased treatment of the information.
Ask the following questions:
- How reliable is this source?
- Is it objective or subjective?
- Are there political, institutional, religious, cultural, ideological, or personal biases?