Is This Information Any Good?
Finding information on any topic is usually not very hard. There is plenty of it out there. Finding GOOD information, however, is more difficult. Determining what information is "good" depends on what you need for your assignment.
When considering sources to use for an assignment, answer the following questions about each source. Some of these questions can be answered without reading the material in depth.
Relevance
- Is the information content relevant to your topic?
Author
- Is the author identified?
- What are the author's credentials, educational background, or experience in the area?
Year of Publication
- When was the source published?
- Is it current or out-of-date for your topic?
Type of Information Source
- Is the source from a book, magazine, journal, newspaper, database, or Web site? (Know what types of sources are appropriate for your assignment.)
- If you found the information on the Web, is it a magazine or journal article that you found by searching one of the library's periodical databases, or is it a Web page that you found through a search engine? (Articles from a library database are similar to articles in print -- they have been critiqued by publishers. Anyone can create a Web page and say anything on their page!)
- If the source is a periodical article, is it a research article from a "scholarly" journal, an article from a "popular" magazine, a book review, a commentary, an editorial, a newspaper article, or something else?
- Articles from "popular" magazines provide information to a broad audience that may have a special interest in, but not necessarily knowledge of, a particular subject. Articles rarely include references with complete citations.
- Articles from "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed" journals report on original research or discussion. Their purpose is to communicate information to other researchers in a specific field or discipline. Research articles include references, footnotes, notes, and/or a bibliographies.
- Both "popular" magazines and "scholarly" journals will include book reviews, commentaries, and editorials.
Nature of the Information
- Is the source primary or secondary?
- "Primary" sources convey first-hand accounts or experiences, or original research.
- "Secondary" sources report or interpret information from other sources.
- Are there well-documented footnotes, notes, bibliography, or a literature cited section, to support the information reported?
Publisher
- Is the publisher a professional organization, university press, or a commercial publisher?
Audience
- Who is the intended audience?
- Is the information aimed at a general audience or researchers within a specific discipline?
Coverage
- Does the information update or support what you have read?
- Will you need to supplement your information with additional research?
- Does it cover your topic in depth or touch on one or more aspects of your topic?
Objectivity
- Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
- Facts can be verified from footnotes or a bibliography.
- Opinions, though they may be based on factual information, evolve from the interpretation of facts. Writers skilled in persuasive writing techniques will try to make you believe that their opinions are facts.
- A source can be considered "propaganda" if it is emotionally charged and persuasive with no verifiable supporting documentation.
Updated January 2004
Send Comments to Nancy Gauss, ngauss@western.edu
