ENGL 01A Piro: Evaluating Information

To be able to evaluate and cite information, knowing what kind of source you are investigating is helpful. Different sources are created differently and also serve different purposes. This can be helpful when deciding if a source meets your information need.

To learn about some of the major types of sources, check out the "Recognizing Major Sources" tab of the guide.

Characteristics of Reputable News Sources

• publishes accurate content; checks facts, and if errors are made, corrects them
• uses reputable sources (people, documentation) and verifies those sources
• presents headlines which accurately represent the article content; headlines don't play on readers' emotions
• clearly identifies authors of articles with bylines
• produces its own content; doesn't merely aggregate content from other sources
• clearly identifies content types (e.g. report vs. editorial)
• conducts reporting not just editorializing
• employs journalists who follow the profession's code of ethics

It is always best to look at multiple sources to get a variety of viewpoints. You need to verify and contextualize information with other sources. By checking multiple sources, you will be able to tell where the stories have commonalities and where they differ. 

Fact-Checking Sources

Sources to Help Determine Bias & Accuracy in Reporting

The process of evaluating a source includes examining the source itself and examining other sources by:

• Checking for previous work. Has someone already fact-checked this source?
• Finding the original source. Who originally published the information and why?
• Reading laterally. What do other people say about this publication and author?
• Circling back. How can you revise your original search to yield better results?
• Checking your own emotions. Is your own bias affecting your evaluation?¹

The questions below will help you think critically during the source evaluation process:

Purpose: How and why the source was created.

• Why does this information exist?
  Why is it in this form (book, article, website, etc.)?
• Who is the intended audience? 
• Is the purpose clear?

Relevance: The value of the source for your needs.

• How useful is this source in answering your question, supporting your argument, or adding to your knowledge?
• Is the type and content of the source appropriate for your assignment?

Objectivity: The reasonableness and completeness of the information.

• How thorough and balanced is this source?
• Does it present fact or opinion?
• How well do its creators acknowledge their point of view, represent other points of view fully, and critique them professionally?

Verifiability: The accuracy and truthfulness of the information.

• How well do the creators of this source support their information with factual evidence, identify and cite their sources, and accurately represent information from other sources? 
• Can you find the original source(s) of the information or verify facts in other sources? 
• What do experts say about the topic?

Expertise: The authority of the authors and the source. 

• Who created this source and what education and/or professional or personal experience makes them authorities on the topic?
• How was the source reviewed before publication?
• Do other experts cite this source or otherwise acknowledge the authority of its creators?

Newness: The age of the information.

• Does your topic require current information? 
• How up-to-date is this source and the information within it? 

¹Based on Caulfield, Mike. "Four Moves and a Habit." Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers, 2017.

P.R.O.V.E.N. Source Evaluation by librarian Ellen Carey (2018), Santa Barbara City College, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.