how do you evaluate the credibility of a source

Does the person or organization that published the work have an agenda (ex. 2 Mar. This stands for: How you evaluate a source using these criteria will depend on your subject and focus. Are the journals policies on copyright and peer review easily available? Scribbr. Snell, Julia. Are you writing a research paper? Check for contact information and the credentials of the author. When examining online news articles, find out what you can about the organization behind the articles. Websites that end in .com and .org are sometimes credible, but sometimes not. The materials collected here do not express the views of, or positions held by, Purdue University. Evaluating Your Sources. What is the credibility of secondary sources? Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. The more familiar you become with your topic, the easier it will be for you to evaluate the evidence in your sources. What are possible consequences of not evaluating sources? If so, it's really important to find reliable sources to reference! How do you determine credibility of evidence? When looking for online sources, using a database helps you find credible information. Remember that scholarly sources often have a very particular audience in mind, and popular sources are written for a more general audience. Being able to evaluate the credibility of information is an important skill used in school, work, and day-to-day life. Evaluating the credibility of a source is an important way of sifting out misinformation and determining whether you should use it in your research. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. Conclusions that describe something as "bad or good" or "right or wrong" should be examined critically. Preliminary evaluation is useful as it allows you to: While this preliminary evaluation is an important step in the research process, you should engage with sources more deeply in order to adequately understand them. Browse through the Table of Contents and the Index. Google Apps. The purpose of my source is to educate or inform, not to sell a product or push a particular opinion. As you dig deeper into your scholarly research, books and academic journals are usually your best bet. In the case of an anonymous author, you can check who published the website with, Be conscious of wording that indicates judgment. Domain extensions help differentiate the type of websites and the different purposes they serve. The source should be relevant to your research. In academia, these types of arguments are sometimes more valued than those based on the writings of famous thinkers because they suggest you have the ability to question accepted thinking and push the boundaries of the discipline. However, the deeper you get into your topic, the more comprehensive your research will need to be. Evaluating the authority, usefulness, and reliability of resources is a crucial step in conducting a review of the literature that effectively covers pertinent research and, thereby, demonstrates to the reader that you know what you're talking about. December 7, 2022. Evaluate sources of information by examining them for authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage. These will entice the reader by stating that the reader probably cannotanswer each question correctly. To assess an arguments strengths and weaknesses, ask: Situating a source in relation to other sources (lateral reading) can help you determine whether the authors arguments and conclusions are reliable and how you will respond to them in your own writing. In others, texts can continue to be considered valuable for longer. I have checked that it is supported by evidence and/or verifiable elsewhere. Always seek your second opinion ahead of the deadline for your project. California State University developed it in 2004 to help students remember best practices for evaluating content. Your assignment might have parameters on format and medium, but . Like other encyclopedias, Wikipedia can provide valuable information about certain topics. Because of the .org domain extension, it appears more credible. Purpose: Think about the intended purpose of the information source and try to determine its aim. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. As you navigate through different sources, you need to examine the authors and the websites other credentials before making assumptions simply by the domain extension. There are two key steps: Ask questions before you trust what you read or hear. For example, the website passportUSA.org appears to contain official instructions for applying for a passport online; however, it is simply a PDF editing site. A few of the most common social media platforms are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Instagram. For example, a journal article discussing the efficacy of a particular medication may seem credible, but if the publisher is the manufacturer of the medication, you cant be sure that it is free from bias. Petersen, Alexander Michael, et al. Only then will an article be published in a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal. Social media is simply defined as any type of digital space that allows users to create content and share it with others in a social setting. Fish and Wildlife Services might provide the same family of information without agenda bias. by . If the material does not measure up to expected standards of scholarly work, it may still be of use to you. Newspapers and magazines. Rather than taking these figures at face value, you decide to determine the accuracy of the sources claims by cross-checking them with official statistics such as census reports and figures compiled by the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Immigration Statistics. There are a lot of sources out there, and it can be hard to tell whats credible and what isnt at first glance. When you verify the information in one source with information you find in another source, this is called cross-referencing or cross-checking. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). There are six (6) criteria that should be applied when evaluating any Web site: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, coverage, and appearance. This could be a sign of bias. 2015. When writing a research paper, always use and cite credible sources. August 26, 2021 Below are some suggestions for evaluating digital texts and a breakdown of the different types of sources available online. Sometimes your instructor will require you to incorporate certain types of resources into your research, but for other assignments, you will be looking for sources on your own. This article has been viewed 849,783 times. Do they confirm or challenge established knowledge? 1) Accuracy. Blogs can range in subject, from seasonal fashion tips to discussing every one of Emily Dickinsons poems. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. How does the author situate their argument in the field? If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Are they appropriate for your needs? Its important to not necessarily evaluate an online source simply based on its domain extension. Does the Author Have an Agenda? There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Does the information come from an author or organization that has authority to speak on your topic? If you don't find your topic discussed, try searching for some synonyms in the Index. Anne Burke Associate Head, Learning Spaces & Services Video added on June 1, 2015 Credits Anne Burke: Project Lead, Storyboards Lisa Becksford: Script, Editing . For each criterion, there are several questions to be asked. Copyright 2022 by The On-Campus Writing Lab& The OWL at Purdueand Purdue University. What else has the author written? Is the author affiliated with a university or another institution? Scholarly sources are written by experts in a particular discipline for other experts in their field. Understanding SEO is important because it dictates the initial information youre presented with when using a search engine for your research. The sources you use are an important component of your research. With so much advertising, controversy, and blogging going on, how do you sift through the chaff and cut to the chase? Check for a list of references or other citations that look as if they will lead you to related material that would be good sources. This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. George, T. You can also read abstracts, prefaces, introductions, and conclusions. For example, if you were to search How to change a flat tire in a search engine, you would most likely get how-to videos and pages, rather than someone selling their car on Craigslist, because the algorithm sorts the webpages based on the keywords you input. It is written by a trustworthy author or organization. You need to make sure the source is accurate and credible. June 2, 2022 Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Websites that end in .com or .org are credible if they're backed by respected institutions, but not if they have a clear bias or are created by a private individual. Evaluating Sources Read More Diane Shepelwich 3395 26 Criteria for Evaluating Sources How do you evaluate the credibility of a source? The CRAAP test is an acronym to help you evaluate the credibility of a source you are considering using. Note also that the difference between an opinion and propaganda is that propaganda usually has a specific agenda attachedthat is, the information in the propaganda is being spread for a certain reason or to accomplish a certain goal. Could the evidence be used to draw other conclusions? what a sources motive is. Clickbait is a type of sensationalized advertisement that seeks to attract viewers through catchy or seemingly unbelievable headlines. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. Web. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b3\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b3\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid368290-v4-728px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"