EVALUATING SOURCES

While there is a wealth of information found in various sources electronically or non-electronically, you should
also keep in mind that not all of these pieces of information are accurate, relevant, or useful, and valid or credible. Hence,
it is very important to evaluate sources of information that you plan to include in your writing, specifically in academic
writing.

Internet sources must be evaluated to assure their authenticity and relevance because Web sites and pages do not
go through the intensive editing processes that traditional print and visual resources do. Therefore, YOU, the user, must
learn to assess the validity of the sources you use in your research. Don’t be fooled into believing that just because it’s on
the Internet, it’s true. In essence, don’t believe everything that you read!

CRITERIA IN EVALUATING SOURCES

There is always a risk that the sources taken from the Internet or anywhere else have biased or incorrect
information, so you always have to evaluate and filter your sources before using them. Not only does an incorrect source
affect your research, it also affects your credibility as a writer.

The following are some of the criteria for assessing whether a source is suitable to use for academic purposes. The
criteria include audience, relevance, authority, currency, contents, and location of sources.

A. AUDIENCE – based on the writing style, who are the target readers?
 General public
 College/university students
 Professionals in a specific field

B. PURPOSE – why is it written? Why was the page put on the web? (This information may be found on the Web
site’s home page or on the “About this site” page, if available)
 Facts, sales tool, persuasion?
 What is the goal of the author/organization? What is the purpose of the site? To persuade, inform,
explain, sell, promote, or ridicule?
 Are there advertisements present on the site?

C. OBJECTIVITY
 Is there evidence of bias?
 Is the Web site mostly factual or mostly opinionated? Can you tell facts from opinions?
 Is the subject of the Web site a controversial subject?
 Is there hateful or inflammatory language used?
 Is the Web site part of or sponsored by a company or organization? (This can affect what is stated).

D. RELEVANCE – how well does the source support your topic? Does the source cover the same general subject as
your paper? Does the source contain the information you need? Does the information relate to my assignment
question?

Key Ideas:

 You can check the title, table of contents, summary/abstract, introduction, or headings of the text to have
a sense of its content.

Check for relevance: Which of the sources would you pick if you are doing a research on the Law of Supply and
Demand?
a. An Introduction to Theories on Economics
b. How to Invest and Get Rich
c. 105 Habits of Highly Effective Businessmen

E. AUTHORITY/AUTHOR’S QUALIFICATIONS - Authority refers to the reliability and credibility of the

source. In this criteria, ask yourself, “Is the author qualified to write publicly about the topic or subject?” Other
questions to ask are the following:
 Is the author’s name identified?
 Is the author’s background, education, or training related to the topic?
 Is he or she a professor in a reputable university?
 What are his/her publications?

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  Is the contact information of the author available?
Key Ideas:

 If the source does not have an author, think twice before using it.
 You can check the university’s website to make sure that professor is associated with the university.
 Publications from professors are usually peer-reviewed and have undergone a strenuous publication
process and are therefore reliable.
 Legitimate academic texts must include citations as a requirement for publication. Citations demonstrate
that the writer has thoroughly researched the topic and is not plagiarizing the material.

Check for authority: Which of the following texts would you use for a research regarding the Holocaust?
a. Analyzing Nazism and Extremist Supremacy, authored by Adolf Mussolini, RMD
b. Dark Shadows of the Past: A Comparative Study on the Holocaust and the Death March; authored by Mao
Guevarra, Ph.D. in History

F. CURRENCY/PUBLICATION DATE/TIMELINESS - What is the date of publication?

 If there are any provided links, make sure to check them if they are updated.
 When was the Web site created?
 When was the Web site last updated?
 Are there any dead-end links on the Web site?

Key Ideas:
 In most fields, the data from older publications may no longer be valid. As much as possible, the date of
publication should be at most five years earlier.

Check for currency: Which material will you use for a research on electromagnetism?
a. Notes on Recent Researches in Electricity and Magnetism, 1853
b. The Foundation of Studies in Electromagnetism, 2009
c. Basics of Electromagnetism, 2015
d. Fundamentals of Physics, 2013

G.
CONTENTS/ACCURACY OF INFORMATION
To examine the quality of the content of the source, ask the following questions:
 Is the information dependable?
 Is the information error-free? Are there spelling or grammatical errors?
 Does the author have a lot of citations in his or her text/or a bibliography or works cited section?
 Are there references given for the information on the site?
 What is the tone and style of writing? Is it angry or whiny or professional?
 Is the information accurate? Has the information been peer reviewed?
 Is the information obviously biased or prejudiced?
 Does the Web site have a list of works cited or links to other resources that would verify the information
on the Web site?
Key Ideas:
 The tone or the attitude of the author towards his/her subject and writing style must be formal. There should be no
words or phrases (such as colloquial words, idioms, and contracted words) that are unacceptable in English formal
writing.
 You do not want to use a source that is disputable, so make sure to verify your findings with multiple sources.
 It might be all right to use a source which only focuses on one aspect of the topic, as long as you balance it in
your research with sources from other points of view. Make sure that the author has no personal agenda in writing
the information.

H. LOCATION OF SOURCES
Check for accuracy: Which of these sources would you use for a research on Marxism?
a. The Dark Side of Marxism, Hen Sy
b. Karl Marx and the Fundamentals of Marxism, Fred Angle
c. Effects of Marxism in an Industrialized World, Rick Carlos
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  Where is the source published? Is it published digitally or in print?
 Is it a book, an academic journal, or a reputable news source such as www.nytimes.com or
www.economist.com?
 Does it provide complete publication information such as author(s)/editor(s), title, date of publication, and
publisher?
 What is the URL of the website?

Key Ideas:

 Avoid using blogs or personal homepage and wiki sites (Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wikiquotes).
 If the URL includes top-level domain .edu, then that means that it has been published by an academic
institution such as a university.
 Common URLs include .gov (government), .org (organizations), .net (network infrastructures), and .com
(commercial sites). In academic writing, reputable sites are those with .edu, .gov, .net, and .org in URL.

You can also use the criteria below in evaluating websites.

IMPORTANT: Evaluation is especially important when it comes to Web sites. Many Web sites do not go through the
editorial process like books and periodicals do. Thus, many Web sites are not checked for quality prior to being uploaded
to the Web.

EVALUATION OF WEB DOCUMENTS HOW TO INTERPRET THE BASICS

1. Accuracy of Web Documents Accuracy
 Who wrote the page and can you  Make sure author provides e-mail, or a
contact him or her? contact address/phone number.
 What is the purpose of the
document and why was it
produced?
 Is this person qualified to write
this document?
2. Authority of Web Documents Authority
 Who published the document?  What credentials are listed for the
 Check the domain of the authors?
document, what institution  Where is the document published? Check
publishes this document? the website’s URL domain.
 Does the publisher list his or her
qualifications?
3. Objectivity of Web Documents Objectivity
 What goals/objectives does this  Determine if the page is a mask for
page meet? advertising; if so, information might be
 How detailed is the information? biased.
 What opinions (if any) are  View any Web page as you would an
expressed by the author? infommercial on television. Ask yourself
why it was written and for whom.
4. Currency of Web Documents Currency
 When was it produced?  Are the links current or updated
 When was it updated? regularly?
 How up-to-date are the links (if  Is the information on the page outdated?
any)?
5. Coverage of the Web Documents Coverage
 Are the links (if any) evaluated?  Is it free or is there a fee to obtain the
 Is it all images or a balance of information?
text and images?  If page requires special software to view
 Is the information presented cited the information, how much are you
correctly? missing if you do not have the software?
 Is there an option for text only, or frames,
or a suggested browser for better
viewing?

Put it all together …

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o Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting
him/her and …
o Authority. If your page lists the author’s credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net), and …
o Objectivity. if your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting
the information, and …
o Currency. If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-
to-date, and …
o Coverage. If you can view the information properly – not limited to fees, browser technology, or software
requirement, then …
o You may have a Web page that could be of value to your research!

In sum, always question the validity of the information that you find. Make sure to use only quality resources
when gathering information. Always remember and consider these criteria for evaluating sources and you will be a
happier, smarter, and more successful researcher!

REFERENCES:
Barrot, J. & Sipacio, P. (2016). Evaluating sources. English for academic and professional purposes. Quezon City:
C&E Publishing, Inc.
The Internet