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Evaluating Sources

This Library Research Guide will provide you with information that you can use to critically evaluate sources including websites, articles and reports, books and ebooks, etc.

CCOW:Credentials, Claims, Objectives, and Worldview

Information is All Around Us

We live in the Information Age. Information is all around us, in every form imaginable. When we think of information, we usually think of dry, research articles, but information comes in many packages. Instagram posts, Tweets, Reddit rants, YouTube videos, texts from your friends, memes, and this web page are all forms of information, too.

We create information all the time. That text you sent a friend about your weekend is a piece of information. So is the scholarly article you read for your Biology class. And so was the conversation you had with a family member.

Not all information is created equal. Some information is true. Some are mistaken. Some are made for entertainment rather than to be taken seriously. Some are flat-out malicious. It's important to spot when information is bad because bad information can have bad consequences.

How CCOW Can Help 

Given that our brain and beliefs regularly influence how we see information, what can we do to make sure we're only using good, reliable information?

The key is to be conscious of where our information comes from, and self-conscious about how we're viewing it. Librarians call this skill "information literacy," and we believe it's not just an academic skill, but a life skill.

It helps to have a CCOW, which stands for Credentials, Claims, Objectives, and Worldview. If we want to know if a piece of information is good, investigating these four elements can be very helpful. Use the tabs on this guide for more information about each element and watch the short video below.

 
 
The CCOW information presented has been adapted from the original work This link opens in a new window by Anthony Tardiff from Foley Library at Gonzaga University. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License This link opens in a new window.
 

Evaluating Sources with CCOW Video

In this short video, you will learn how to effectively evaluate sources using CCOW—Credentials, Claims, Objections, and Worldview.

 

The CCOW information presented has been adapted from the original work This link opens in a new window by Anthony Tardiff from Foley Library at Gonzaga University. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License This link opens in a new window.