evaluating sources psy2600
TRANSCRIPT
Evaluating Sources
Authority is Constructed and Contextual
Think critically about information – whether it’s from a blog post, a book, or a peer-reviewed journal article. Ask questions about the author(s), the purpose, and the context of the information. Recognize the value of diverse ideas and
world views.
What makes a source
authoritative?
How do you determine the credibility of a
source?
What points of view
might be missing?
Whose voice does the
information represent?
Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need
and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may
recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of
authority required. (ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, 2015)
Bucknell UniversityBertrand Library Research Services, 2015
Currency Relevance AuthorityAccuracy Purpose
The CRAAP Test
Evaluating CurrencyAsking yourself these questions:
When was this published?
Where do you find that information? Why does it matter? In Science and Medicine it does!
Has this been updated? If so, when?
Where can you find that information? On a website where would it be?
Relevance of Currency Why should you care?
Evaluating RelevanceAsk yourself these questions…
Who is this written for? Is it written for an academic
audience? High school students? Middle school?
Can you understand the information presented?
Is it too sophisticated? Too simple?
Does it support your thesis?
Advice:It is OK to throw away
sources that can’t be used to support your thesis
Evaluating Authority
Who wrote this? Who is the author? Publisher? Source? Sponsor?What are their credentials or organizational affiliation?Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? .com, .edu, .gov, .org, .net
What are their qualifications?
Do they have a reputation?A good reputation…
Do they have an agenda?Are they trying to persuade you of their opinion? Or sell you something?
Is the journal reputable?
Evaluating Accuracy
Is the information supported by evidence?
Are there citations? Are they real? Are their sources biased?
Check the Citations!
Is the language emotional or otherwise biased?
Does the source use a lot of anecdotes?
Are there a lot of typos or spelling errors? (Some companies pay by the word for articles which are published on the web, written by individuals who know nothing about the topic.)
Check the Language!
Is the information consistent with what others have written about the subject?
Evaluating Purpose
Why was this article written?
To Sell Something?
To provide an overview?
To Persuade?
To report on research or statistics?
To review a book, movie or other media?
To entertain?
Currency Relevance AuthorityAccuracy Purpose
The CRAAP Test