Evaluating your sources
Is my information any good?
Thinking critically about the information you find enables you to decide which materials to use in your assignment, and which are no good.
This section explores:
Why it is important to evaluate information for quality
How to evaluate information, to decide whether you should use it in your assignment
Watch this video to find out why it is important to find the right kind of information.
Why do I need to evaluate my information?
Once you have found some information, how do you decide whether it is suitable to use in your assignment? Heading for scholarly information sources is a good starting point, but all information should be assessed for quality - including information from academic books and journal articles. Using high quality and trustworthy information gives your arguments and writing credibility.
It is also important to consider whether the information you have found is relevant- you could have some great quality information, but if it doesn't help you to answer your assignment question, it won't be useful to you.
How do I evaluate?
Checking your sources for quality will soon become something you do without thinking, but whilst you get to grips with this process it can be useful to use an evaluative framework to help you to do this.
RADAR covers five criteria you could consider when you assess information to decide if you should use it in your assignment. RADAR stands for:
Relevance
Authority
Date
Accuracy
Rationale
The evaluating information presentation explores these criteria and considers how they relate to your assignment.
Evaluating in practice
To critically evaluate your sources and make sure only the best information is making the cut, have a go at interrogating your information by asking the questions below.
Questions to ask
Relevance
Does the information help me to answer my assignment question?
Can I read it OK? Does it fit with my current level of understanding of my topic?
Authority
Can I find information on the author or creator of the information?
What are their qualifications?
Have they written other information on the same topics?
Are they an expert in their field?
Date
When was the information published or updated?
Does the topic or question I am looking at need up-to-date information?
Can I find more recent information on the same topic?
Accuracy
Is the information well-written?
Does the author back up their arguments using research or evidence?
Has the information been peer-reviewed?
Rationale
Why was the information created?
Does it appear to be objective and free from bias?
Has the work been sponsored by anyone? How might this influence the content?
