LibGuides: For Students: Evaluate

Evaluating Info Sources

6 Questions to Ask to Know What to Trust
[American Press Institute]

Media Bias/Fact Check

Website Investigation with the 5 Ws
[Touro Libraries]

Wikipedia: Beneath the surface
[North Carolina State University]

Peer-Review in 3 Minutes
[North Carolina State University]

How to read a scientific paper
[Purdue University]

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Evaluating Information with the 5Ws

Who?
Who wrote this information?
What are his/her qualifications in this subject?
Is there contact information?
Is it affiliated with a known/trusted institution?

What?
Does what this article says agree or disagree with other sources you've found?
How is the article written?
Is it casual or formal?
Does it sound sensationalistic or too good to be true?

When?
When was it written or last updated?
Is this current enough for your needs?

Where?
Where is the information coming from?
Can its contents be verified elsewhere with citations or references?
Is there a better place to find this information?

Why?
Why was this information written?
What is the author's purpose or goals?
How might those aims affect how the information is presented?

Using Sources Effectively (BEAM Method)

You've chosen a topic, learned more about it, evaluated your sources for quality and relevance, and now it's time to integrate them into your paper. How do each of your sources fit into the structure of your paper? What could you DO with these sources in your paper? How could you use them to support one or more of the elements below?