Evaluating Sources

The critical evaluation of information for authority, credibility, objectivity and quality is an important aspect of the research process. Here are some aspects to consider as you gather your sources, whether they be books, journal articles or Internet resources.

Who wrote it? What are the author's background and credentials?

• Locate biographical information on the author. Search for the author in Google, Google Scholar or Google Books.
• Locate other publications by the author. (Tip: if the author's name is highlighted in the database article click on it to see what else he or she has written. Search for the author in WorldCat.)
• Does the author have a web site?
• Affiliation. Is the author associated with an institution, organization or corporation? If you locate a university affiliation, go to the university website and search for the author.

Is the publisher reputable?

• Was it published by a reputable press, a university press or a scholarly society? (Some books are self-published by the author.) Can you locate the publisher in the resources listed below?
• Association of American Publishers - Lists Member Publishers
• Association of American University Presses

Locate Reviews

• Use our databases to locate book reviews.
• Use Google to locate reviews for older books in JSTOR. Here is an example of a Google search for a review in JSTOR of the book The Bell Curve: jstor "bell curve" book review.

Is the journal article "scholarly" or peer-reviewed?

• Academic Search Complete provides a box you can check to limit your results to scholarly and peer-reviewed journals.



• How to Identify Scholarly Journal Articles - YouTube video on how to recognize and find scholarly journal articles. Part of Research Minutes, a series for undergraduate students at Cornell University covering library research topics.

Evaluating Internet Resources

Try to determine the publisher or creator of the web resource. Often search engine will bring you to a web page many layers down from the main page. Try shortening the web address (url).

• Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask - University of California, Berkeley, Library

Other Guides on Evaluating Sources

• Critical Evaluation of Information Sources - University of Oregon Libraries
• Critically Analyzing Information Sources - Cornell University Libraries
• Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools - Cornell University Libraries

Last update: Thursday, December 08, 2011