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Evaluating Information

A vital step in the research process is to evaluate and filter the information you gather. There are important criteria to consider when selecting resources for their quality, reliability and relevance to your research. 

There are five criteria to gauge the expertise and reliability of a source. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Has the information been peer-reviewed?
  2. Are the references of high quality and sufficiently documented so that you can find the original sources?
  3. Is the information accurate?
  4. Has the author written their argument objectively and critically, minimising bias and misrepresentation?
  5. Does the author of source have authority and high impact? 

Evaluating web information

Information on the web may be published by anyone. There may be no editing or review of information by peers or publishers. Information from the web may be incomplete, inaccurate, or written by non-experts. It can be unstable and may disappear. It may be aimed to sell you a product or an idea. Consider author and authority, accuracy and completeness, stability, bias and misrepresentation, propaganda and commercial agendas when evaluating information on the web.

Further Resources: