Evaluating Information

Use the following criteria to critically evaluate print and Web based information:

Relevance and Usefulness	How Useful is the information? Make sure you understand your topic. Sometimes your search find information that includes your keywords but is not really about your topic or question at all. Think critically to get and use the best information first How or why will the information on the page be useful for your project? You will need to look at several sources before you decide on the ones that are the most useful
Authority	Who is the author? What does the author tell you about him or herself? What does the publication say about the author? Look for his/her credentials and/or experience, you may have to search on the Internet   Do you feel the author is knowledgeable about the topic? Has he/she published other books or papers on the topic? If there a group responsible for the web site rather than an author? Is it a government body? (.ae or .gov) A company? (.com) An educational institution? (.edu) A research institution? other?
Credibility of Source	Can you believe this information? Is the source well documented?   Is it published in a scholarly or peer-reviewed  publication? Is there a list of references, works cited or a bibliography? Have you found similar information in a scholarly or peer-reviewed publication?  Is there an email link so that you can ask questions and give feedback?
Bias	What is the purpose of the information? Is the purpose to inform or to sell? Is it expressing opinions rather than facts? Is there a political, social or commercial agenda? What is the tone of language used (angry, funny, balanced, educated)? Does it only reflect one point of view? (when there could be opposing viewpoints)
Current/up to date?	How old or new is this information? • Is the information current? • Has it been updated? • Does it matter?(for your particular topic)