Currency
- Copyright date/last update date
- Up-to-date terminology and facts
Note: The currency standard will differ depending on the discipline.
Authority
- Qualifications or credentials of the author, editor, contributors
- Is the material primary or secondary?
- Publisher’s quality/purpose? (Do they publish reputable material?)
- Are submissions peer reviewed?
Scope
- What kind of information is the source intended to convey?
- What topics are covered? For what period of time?
- How detailed is the source?
- How complete is it? Are there any noticeable omissions?
Accuracy
- What is the source’s purpose? (What is the author trying to accomplish through the work?)
- Does the content seem credible? (well-written, well organized, logically presented)
- To what extent does the argument rely on evidence and to what extent does it rely on opinion?
- Is the evidence verifiable? (sources clearly attributed or original research methodology explained)
- Is the information presented in an objective manner? (All sides of an issue presented; no logical fallacies)
- Is the source internally consistent?
- How does source fit in with other sources in the field? (Does it reference other reputable/authoritative sources? Does it build upon the contributions of others/current knowledge? Is it compatible with known information or explain why it is not compatible?)
General assessment strategies:
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Print Resources
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Web Pages
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Databases
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Scan table of contents
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Scan menus
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Review help section
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Scan title page
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Scan root page
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Read about/scope information
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Scan index(es)
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Scan site map
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Review the list of publications/sources included
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Read preface
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Read introduction
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Determine the vendor/source
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Scan references/bibliography
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Scan references/bibliography
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Read author’s bio
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Read author’s bio
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Developed by Sara Lowe and Karen Wallace; informed by Libraries Linking Idaho course on evaluating reference sources
