Evaluating Sources
An effective way of evaluating your sources is to look at 4 factors: authority, accuracy, objectivity and currency.
Authority:
Who is responsible for presenting this information?
Who has written this information and can you check their qualifications?
Is the information from an "expert" in the field?
Accuracy:
Is the information accurate, can be proved and verified?
Is the information correct?
Can you check the accuracy through links, footnotes and bibliography?
Objectivity:
Is the information based on facts, things you can observe or based more on opinions and emotions? Is it from just one point of view?
Is there personal bias?
Can you verify that facts, statistics and links to sources are accurate and truthful?
Currency:
How old is the information and is this important?
Has the author(s) provided a date for when the information is written?
Has the information been revised or updated, and if so, when?
As you do your research and evaluate your sources using these factors, don't forget to document this in your process journal!