Your academic career and personal reputation depend on it!
Use the criteria below to determine the quality of ALL YOUR SOURCES (books, articles, videos, audio programs, and especially websites...etc.)
If your source fails to meet a lot of the criteria listed below, look for another, better source.
Determining the author for a source is important in deciding whether information is credible. The author should show some evidence of being knowledgeable, reliable and truthful.
The source should contain accurate and up-to-date information that can be verified by other sources.
It is important that the source meets the information needs and requirements of your research assignment.
Some written works are ageless (e.g., classic literature) while others (e.g., technological news) become outdated quickly. It is important to determine if currency is pertinent to your research.
Every author has an opinion. Recognizing this is instrumental in determining if the information presented is objective or biased.
Style and functionality may be of lesser concern. However, if the source is not well-organized, its value is diminished.
Click below to download your own copy of the checklist
Students are responsible for using the work others produce in an ethical manner. Cite all your sources of images, information, text, video, sounds, etc! It's just a matter of giving credit where it's due.
For more information, see the sources below