Evaluating Sources
Evaluate all information, whether from a book, article, or website.
- Find out what you can about the author/producer.
- Google the author or organization’s name (lateral reading).
- Is it intended for a scholarly or general audience?
- Is it fact, opinion, or propaganda?
- Facts are objective.
- Opinion gives thoughts or ideas of a particular person or group. Opinion pieces are not necessarily unreliable, but the author should recognize there may be other varying opinions. Opinions may be biased.
- Propaganda spreads possibly biased information for a specific person, group, or cause.
- Cross-check the information with other sources.
- How timely is the source?
- Examine the list of references if available.
- Read the abstract/summary to determine if it’s on your topic.
These guidelines were derived from General Guidelines, Online Writing Lab (OWL), Purdue University.
MLA also provides a checklist for evaluating sources.
