Use the criteria below to help you evaluate a source. As you do, remember:
Criteria to consider
(From Evaluate Sources - University of Texas Libraries)
Examine the site: Before diving into an article, take a step back to look at the context in which it appears. What do you know about the group or organization? You can learn some things from the About pages, but you might find out more by doing a Google search to see what other people are saying. Wikipedia articles about organizations and companies may contain helpful hints.
This research can help you understand the context and purpose of the source.
Lateral reading: Instead of reading an article straight through, or scanning up and down the same website, you might need to jump around a bit. Open multiple tabs in your browser to follow links found within the source and do supplemental searches on names, organizations or topics you find. These additional perspectives will help you to evaluate the original article, and can end up saving you time.
Things to remember:
(Modified from Evaluate Sources - University of Texas Libraries)
Call or email a subject librarian in your discipline.
For brief factual questions use the Ask a Reference Question online form.
Our Online Tutorials cover many topics, from coming up with a research question to citing your sources and using various software.
University of Cincinnati Libraries
PO Box 210033 Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0033
Phone: 513-556-1424
University of Cincinnati
Alerts | Clery and HEOA Notice | Notice of Non-Discrimination | eAccessibility Concern | Privacy Statement | Copyright Information
© 2021 University of Cincinnati