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.
Relevancy
Evaluating a source by relevancy means that you are asking: Does it answer your question or contribute to your research?
When considering the relevancy of a source, there are several things to ask yourself:
- Is the scope of the source is appropriate for your research? Does the source provide a general overview of your topic or is it focused specifically on a single aspect of your topic?
- Who is the intended audience for the source? Is the information too basic or too technical? Does it assume you have prior knowledge about the topic?
- How many sources have you found? Have you searched thoroughly enough to find the most relevant sources available?
- Does the source meet the parameters of your assignment? Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research project?
Where should you look to determine the relevancy of a source?
Print & Database Sources
- Read the abstract, summary, or table of contents
- Scan the full text of the source
- Examine subject terms and keywords associated with the source
- Look at sources beyond the first page of search results
Websites
- Read the abstract, summary, or table of contents (if available)
- Scan the full text of the source
- Examine subject terms and keywords associated with the source (if available)
- Look at sources beyond the first page of search results
What to avoid
- Sources that provide minimal usable content for your research
- Sources that provide content which is too broad or too narrow for your research
| Examples | Questions To Ask |
|---|---|
| What is "global climate change"? |
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| Foreign Affairs |
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| How Stuff Works |
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