Library Services Guide

Choose Wisely!  There is so much information available to us at our fingertips, especially with social media and websites. Good research habits include identifying sources, assessing their expertise and verifying information found. The sources that you select are a direct reflection of the quality of your paper or project.  Evaluate every source and the information it contains no matter where it comes from before you use it to be sure it is credible and relevant to your topic. At first, evaluating sources will seem tedious and time consuming, but if you do it often enough it will become a habit that comes with ease.

How you evaluate a source depends on the purpose of your research. Consider how the given source might inform your research and if it provides the most appropriate information for your purpose.  Determine if resources are credible using the methods provided in this guide. 

Remember, you can always Ask a Librarian for help with evaluating information.

This list of questions will help you think critically while you evaluate sources of information:

Purpose: How and why the source was created.

• How and why did the authors publish this information? Is it intended to educate, inform, persuade, sell or entertain?  Do the authors, publishers, or sponsors state this purpose, or try to disguise it?
• Why was this information published in this particular type of source (book, article, website, blog, etc.)
• Who is the intended audience? Is the source designed for the general public, students or experts?

Relevance: The value of the source for your needs.

• Is the type of source appropriate for how you plan to use it, and for your assignment's requirements?
• How useful is the information in this source, compared to other sources? Does it answer your question or support your argument? Does it add something new and important to your knowledge of the topic?
• How detailed is the information? Is it too general or too specific? Is it too basic or too advanced?

Objectivity: The reasonableness and completeness of the information.

• Do the authors present the information thoroughly and professionally? Do they critique other perspectives respectfully? Do they use strong, emotional, manipulative, or offensive language?
• Do the authors, publishers, or sponsors have a particular political, ideological, cultural, or religious point of view? Do they acknowledge this point of view or try to disguise it?
• Is the information fact or opinion? Is it biased? Does the source present multiple points of view on the topic? Does it leave out, or make fun of, important facts or alternative perspectives?

Verifiability: The accuracy and truthfulness of the information.

• Do the authors support the information they present with strong factual evidence? Do they cite or provide links to other sources? Do those sources pass the P.R.O.V.E.N. test?
• What do experts say about the topic? Can you verify the information in other credible sources?
• Does the source contradict itself, include false statements, or misrepresent other sources?
• Are there errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar? 
• Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?

Expertise: The authority of the creators of the source.

• What makes the authors, publishers, or sponsors of the source authorities on the topic? Do they have related education, personal or professional experience? Are they affiliated with an educational institution or respected organization? Is their expertise acknowledged by other authorities on the topic? Do other sources cite this source?
• Has the source been reviewed in some way, such as by an editor or through peer review?
• Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
• Does the source provide contact information for the authors, publishers, and/or sponsors?

Newness: The age of the information.

• Is your topic in an area that requires current information (such as science, technology or current events), or could information found in older sources still be useful and valid?
• When was the information presented in the source first published or posted? Are the references of links to other sources up to date?
• Are newer sources available that would add important information to your understanding of the topic?

P.R.O.V.E.N. Source Evaluation by Ellen Carey is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license. 

The SIFT Method, created by Mike Caulfield, is a way to determine if resources are credible.  Establishing the credibility of information can be challenging, but the SIFT method was created to help analyze information that you come across, especially news or other online media. 

Each letter in “SIFT” corresponds to one of the “Four Moves":

When practiced, SIFT reveals the necessary context to read, view, or listen effectively before reading an article or other information online.

• We learn about the author, speaker, or publisher: What’s their expertise? Their agenda? Their record of fairness or accuracy?

• We check on claims: Are they broadly accepted? Rejected? Something in-between?

• We don’t take evidence at face value. Is it presented in its original context, or with a certain frame that changes its meaning for the reader or viewer?

Listen to Mike Caulfield, the man who created the SIFT Method, in the (1:30) video below as he explains why developing our online evaluation skills are more important now than ever before:

All SIFT information on this page is adapted from his materials with a CC BY 4.0 license.