Research Tools & Information: Evaluating Information

The Importance of Evaluating Information

Being able to evaluate information is an essential skill that everyone needs. This skill ensures that you can find the best quality information in order to meet your specific needs. Evaluating information takes both time and critical thinking to find accurate, relevant, and current information. This page gives tips on how you can critically evaluate information.

Evaluating Your Sources

When evaluating your sources look for the following elements:

• Context - Why was this information created and who is the intended audience? 

• Credibility - Is the information in this source correct? Is the author an expert in this field? What credentials does the author/creator have to write on this topic? 

• Construction - Does the author or sponsor appear to be biased? In other words, does the information in the source support a particular agenda/side?

• Corroboration - Have you used lateral reading to look for the same information from other sources? 

• Currency - When was the information written? Is the information up to date

The following video can help you determine whether a site is credible: 

What is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Sources? 

Primary sources are firsthand, contemporary accounts of events created by individuals during that period of time or several years later (such as correspondence, diaries, memoirs and personal histories). These original records can be found in a variety of formats such as print, artwork, and audio and visual recordings. Examples of primary sources include manuscripts, newspapers, speeches, cartoons, photographs, video, and artifacts. Primary sources can be described as those sources that are closest to the origin of the information. They contain raw information and thus, must be interpreted by researchers.

Secondary sources are closely related to primary sources and often interpret them. These sources are documents that relate to information that originated elsewhere. Secondary sources often use generalizations, analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include textbooks, articles, and reference books. 

Defining questions:

When determining whether a source is primary or secondary, it may be helpful to consider these questions:

• How does the author know these details (names, dates, times)? Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene?
• Where does this information come from—personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others?
• Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account (e.g., diary entries, along with third-party eyewitness accounts, impressions of contemporaries, newspaper accounts)?

Ultimately, all source materials, regardless of type, must be assessed critically and even the most scrupulous and thorough work is viewed through the eyes of the writer/interpreter. This must be taken into account when one is attempting to arrive at the 'truth' of an event.

Adapted From Furman University and UC Santa Cruz Library