Evaluating information
Not all information is equally valuable, accurate, or reputable. It is therefore essential that you critically assess the usefulness and reliability of what you have found.
There are five main criteria to consider:
Relevance
- Are the sources you have found in an appropriate format (print, video or Web) and are they the right type? Does the topic restrict you to primary or secondary materials?
- Is the information you have found really relevant to your topic? Refer back to the assignment topic, making sure that you understand the issues.
- Is the source too general? If so, there is a risk that what you have found in your source on the topic is over-simplified or even inaccurate.
- Have you checked that the language used in your sources matches your needs? Perhaps the information is too specialised and includes too much jargon.
Currency
- Check the publication date of books or journal articles. If they are more than a few years old, ask yourself if this matters. Is your topic in an area which is rapidly changing or one where information remains valid for a long time?
- How current are the facts and figures in your source? Are they revised daily, monthly, annually? In some fields, up-to-date information is vital.
- Look at the dates of the references used within the material. If all the references date back some years, does this mean that the author has not kept up with the recent literature in the subject?
Reliability
- Check on the author's credentials. Look for qualifications, the names of associated organisations, and whether he or she has previously published material. Is the author a member of a recognised professional organisation or body?
- If the information source is a printed work, look at the name of the publisher. Is the publishing company a well-known, reputable one or is it a smaller company with an uncertain reputation?
- Is the publication authoritative? Refereed or peer-reviewed publications contain information assessed and reviewed by several experts in the field. Articles in a refereed journal almost always have a bibliography (a list of references used). In general, articles in refereed or peer-reviewed journals are the most reliable.
- Be particularly careful when assessing the reliability of information you find on the Web. Anyone can design a Web page and publish their views on a particular subject. The normal safeguards found in academic writing — such as peer review or the oversight of a professional editorial board — are usually absent. Ann Scholz from Purdue University warns that citing information from the Web "is a little like swimming on a beach without a lifeguard".
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The Climate Change Smokescreen Read this newspaper article from the Sydney Morning Herald, The climate change smokescreen. After reading this article, ask yourself why it may not always be a good idea to believe what you read on the Web in relation to controversial topics. |
Accuracy
- Is your information expressed as fact or as opinion? Check that any references and statistics come from reliable sources (such as articles in peer-reviewed journals or government agencies) and that material hasn't been quoted out-of-context. See if the facts can be confirmed by more than one source.
- What kind of language is used: is it objective or emotive? Be wary of propaganda pieces or the opinions of commentators with an axe to grind.
- Judge whether one viewpoint is stressed at the expense of others. Is some information excluded? On the Web, look at the domain in the Web address. Be aware that the information on commercial sites (.com or .co) or from organisations (.org) such as Greenpeace is almost always presented in a manner that favours the organisation's goals. Such material is written to persuade, and may not give the full story.
Coverage
- Is the information restricted to local or regional aspects of an issue?
- Are the author's conclusions specific to a particular situation or do they have a more general application?
- Are all aspects or only one aspect of a particular issue explored?
- Do you have access to the full text of a particular source, or only a summary or an abridged version? Be wary here, as summaries are not always an accurate representation of the original author's views.
In assessing the information you have found you may realise that you need additional information. If this happens, see the previous section on reviewing your search strategies and tools.
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Evaluating web sources If you are interested in learning more about evaluating Web sources, look at
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