Evaluating Sources

Authority and Credibility:

Learn and practice how to conduct a preliminary evaluation of a source’s credibility and relevance.

The internet provides an abundance of material, in part because almost anyone can share information and opinions for the world to see. This can be both helpful and challenging when conducting academic research. An important early step in selecting sources is evaluating their credibility.

Describe the author/artist/creator’s background. Does the author/artist/creator have experience or expertise on this topic?

• YES: this may be a useful source

• NO: proceed with caution

Describe the publisher of the source and the platform on which it was published. Do the search results indicate that the publisher or platform has a reputation for reliability or is commonly used for academic research?

• YES: this may be a useful source

• NO: proceed with caution

Relevance of Sources: 

You will encounter many potential sources while conducting academic research. Reading all of these potential sources in their entirety is impractical so you need an efficient strategy for evaluating the relevance of the source to your research question.

Primary and secondary text sources

Step 1: Reread the research question to be clear on the research goal. 

Step 2: Read the title if available. Is it related to the research question?

• YES: proceed to step 3

• NO: consider moving on to another source

Step 3: If it is a scholarly source read the abstract; if an abstract is not provided read the introduction and conclusion. Are they related to the research question?

• YES: proceed to step 4

• NO: consider moving on to another source

Step 4: Search the text of the source for key words related to the research question. Clicking an icon in the upper right corner of most web browsers opens an option to “find” or “find on page.” This tool allows the user to search the source for specific key words. Does the source provide enough helpful information on the topic?

• YES: this source may be a good option for the project, proceed to step 5

• NO: consider moving on to another source

Step 5: Concisely summarize the source in under three sentences and briefly explain how the source might help answer the research question.

Literature, visual art, performance art, and other non-text sources:

Step 1: Reread the research question to be clear on the research goal.

Step 2: Read the title and caption if present. Is it related to the research question?

• • YES: It is likely relevant

  • NO: more information is needed

Step 3: Examine the image or skim the text. Is it clearly related to the research question?

• • YES: It is likely relevant

  • NO: more information is needed

Step 4: If available, read about the source in an online encyclopedia. Is it related to the research question?

• • YES: It is likely relevant

  • NO: consider moving on to another source

Step 5: Concisely summarize the source in under three sentences and briefly explain how the source might help answer the research question.