Evaluating Sources
You know by now that not all information is truthful and unbiased. Part of your role as a student and as a citizen is to evaluate information. You can evaluate books based on the reputation of the publisher and the credentials of the author. Information published in scholarly journals is more credible than what is published in popular magazines. The Library offers you databases of articles because they provide you with a wide range of sources that can be easily documented. Evaluating Web sites can be a more difficult task because anyone can publish on the Internet. The following links will help you evaluate the sources you use for your research paper.
Evaluating Internet Sources & Sites: A Tutorial – Purdue University
Critical Evaluation of Resources – University of California Berkeley Library
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly – New Mexico State University
Source Evaluation Guide (PDF)
Magazines vs. Journals (PDF)
Databases vs. Internet (PDF)
Web site Evaluation Worksheet (PDF)
Can't find what you need? Call PTC Ottenheimer Library at (501) 812-2272 or e-mail us at LibraryStaff@pulaskitech.edu.