How do I know that the information I've found is reliable?

Evaluating Information

Read information you find with a critical eye! Consider these points when evaluating books, articles and web sites:

WHO?

Who wrote it? What ideas is the author trying to promote? Does the author seem to favor one idea over another? Could this affect the conclusions drawn?

Check:

• that the author's name is given
• where the author works - the author's affiliation
• who published the article
• the type of journal in which the article is published (hint: most scholarly research appears in journals that are refereed or reviewed by peers - sometimes called "peer reviewed" journals)
• the reputation of the newspaper in which the article is published (is it from the Washington Post or the National Enquirer?)
   

WHAT?

• Do the conclusions in the paper seem justified? Does the research make sense - i.e. if you were conducting this research, would you feel comfortable drawing the same conclusions based on the results?
• While you may not feel qualified to judge research in areas that are unfamiliar to you, read critically and take time to reflect using your common sense.
• What is the cultural, historical or economic context of what you are reading?
• Think about what is not being said as well as what is being said.
   

WHERE?

Where's the information from? (see "Who?")

Check:

• the type of journal the article is published in or the reputation of the newspaper
  
• whether the research was done by the author ("primary" source), or whether he is summarizing others' research ("secondary" source)
• if the author is summarizing, are the sources cited (i.e. footnotes and/or a bibliography)?
  
• if statistics are given, is the source named?
   

WHEN?

How old is the information? Is it too old to be useful (this can vary, depending on the subject area and type of information!)?

Check:

• what is the copyright date of the book?
  
• when was the article written?
  
• when was a web page last updated?
  
• is it possible that there are newer statistics?
   

For more information about evaluating information, see the following web pages or ask a librarian for some guidance:

Critical Evaluation of Resources from UC Berkeley Library
Evaluating Quality on the Net by Hope Tillman

Prepared for the Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to MIT Libraries for granting permission to modify and use their "Information Navigator" tutorial.