CBCA Access to Broken Pencil (1995-present).
Gale Access to Broken Pencil (2010-present).
CREDIBILITY |
ACCURACY |
REASONABLENESS |
SUPPORT |
SUITABILITY |
Is this source believable and trustworthy? |
Is the information correct and current? |
Is the information fair and objective? |
Is the information verifiable? |
Does the information meet your specific needs? |
Author’s credentials, education, employer; memberships; contact info |
Timely OR timeless; how quickly the field changes |
Balanced, reasoned argument; evidence for all sides |
Sources cited Bibliography, further readings, etc. |
Check Table of Contents for topics covered |
Quality control Peer review process; Corporate authorization “official website” |
Comprehensive; detailed |
Calm tone that doesn’t inflame emotions and cloud judgment |
What kind of sources were used? |
Tone, language and level of detail |
Summaries or abstracts |
Factual |
Objective, unbiased, free from conflict of interest |
Corroboration , fact-checking and triangulation |
Presumed background knowledge |
Critical reviews |
Audience & purpose |
Moderateness: how likely, possible, or probable are the claims based on your knowledge of the world |
External consistency – compare what familiar in new source with what is familiar in other sources |
Assignment criteria |
Warning Signals |
Warning Signals Undated; out-dated, or auto-dated; vague; sweeping generalizations |
Warning Signals One-sided; over-the-top language; improbable claims; conflict of interest |
Warning Signals Numbers/statistics not credited; no other sources confirm facts/statements |
Warning Signals Too many new terms |
GOAL: a source that supplies good evidence that you can trust |
GOAL: a source that is correct today and that gives the whole truth |
GOAL: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably |
GOAL: a source that provides convincing evidence for its claims and uses verifiable data |
GOAL: a source that you can understand and that meets the specifications of your project |
Source: Harris, R. (2010, November 22). Evaluating Internet research sources. Retrieved from http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm