Evaluating Sources

  Before you take any notes you need to evaluate your sources for relevance, bias, and reliability.

Relevance

Is this source relevant to my research question?

For example: A biography of Susan B. Anthony, the famous suffragette, would not be relevant to a research question about the change of women’s role in the workplace during and after World War II. Browsing through a source should give you an idea if the information is relevant.
   
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HELPFUL HINT:

Continually ask yourself if the information fits clearly into your subtopics. If not it probably is not relevant to your research.
   
 

Bias

All authors have some bias. Objective or unbiased information is important for most research, though for some papers a bias may be helpful. To argue that global warming does not exist you might want to focus primarily on authors who believe the same thing. Be skeptical, however, when using information form a clearly biased source.

   

Reliability

Is the author of this source reliable? This is particularly important when assessing an Internet site. Anybody may put information on the internet. The author should be both an expert and an adult. You should never use the work of another student that you find on the internet.

Websites must be evaluated before use with the following form. Click here for a Website Evaluation Form . Hand in a separate form with your works cited page for each website you visit.
   
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HELPFUL HINT:

Look carefully at the web address of online sources. The web address can tell you a lot! First, ...

   
 

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