Evaluating Information
The Three Rs
Is your source
Recent? Reliable? Relevant?
Is this source up-to-date? Is it about my topic, and does it go into enough depth? Does it come from an authoritative source? Is the information accurate (and are there citations given to back it up)? And why was this information written in the first place?
Types of Sources
These are a few categories we might group sources of information into, along with their defining characteristics. Click the icons below for example excerpts from articles in each category. Different types provide information in different ways, and can have varying amounts of credibility.
Which type do I need to use?
This depends on what information you need to find as well as the requirements of your assignment. If your prof says to only use scholarly articles, that's what you're working with.