Sourcing and evaluating information

1. Sourcing and
evaluating
information
A quick guide

2. Sourcing materials
You should always use reliable resources in your assignments.
Use
• Library databases;
• Open access journals;
• Textbooks;
• Governmental websites.
Avoid
• Wiki sites (Wikipedia,
WikiHow, etc.);
• For-profit/commercial
websites;
• Blogs;
• YouTube.

3. Doing a database search
Databases should be your first port of call when doing research, since they
contain reliable sources of an academic nature.
CCT College subscribes to a number of Ebsco databases (all searchable via
Ebsco Discovery and accessible via Moodle).
When searching a database you should never write in full sentences, rather, you
should always use Keywords separated by ’and’.

4. Building a database search
strategy
HRM
AND
Evolution
Business
Strategy
Other functions in
the organisation
Competitive
Advantage
‘Critically evaluate the evolution of HRM, its role in business strategy
formulation, its relationship with other functions within the organisation
and how it contributes to achieving and sustaining a competitive
advantage’.
HRM is the main topic of your research, so it should be included in all
your searches.
Search examples:
HRM and Evolution (or evolution of HRM)
HRM and Business Strategy
HRM and impact on other business functions
HRM and competitive Advantage
TIP: Play around with synonyms and see if you can find other search
terms to use.

5. Information sources
Information can be found in many places :
• Books
• Databases
• Journals and Magazines
• The internet
• Newspapers
• TV and Radio
• College
• Family and Friends
• Social Media
But not all sources are equally reliable.

6. Evaluating
information
Academic resources, such as books
and academic journal articles are, by
nature, reliable, but you still must
check that the information is relevant
to your assignment and up to date.
When evaluating non-academic
sources, especially webpages, you
should apply some critical skills and
answer the following 6 questions,
also known as the 5W1H.

7. Evaluating web resources
• When evaluating non-academic sources, especially webpages, you should apply
some critical skills and answer the following 6 questions, also known as the
5W1H.
• Who is the author?
• What type of source are you using?
• Where does the information come from?
• When was the information published?
• Why was the information published?
• How was the information produced?

8. Who is the author?
• Are the authors of the source clearly listed?
• Are they experts in their field?
• Are they reliable?
• Do they have any inherent bias?
If you can’t identify the author of the resource, you should avoid using it in
your assignment.

9. What type of source are you
using?
• Book?
• Journal Article?
• Company Report?
• Country Report?
• Commercial Website?
• Blog?
• Wikipedia article?
You should always ensure that your source of information is reliable and trustworthy.
Wikipedia, blogs and commercial websites, for example, can’t be considered reliable
sources.

10. Where does the information come
from?
• What is the Country of origin?
• Is the website/author/organization reputable?
• Is the website commercial, governmental, educational, private, etc?
• Can you follow the information to the original source (referencing)?
Look at the domain extension of webpages to get an idea of the source of
information.
.edu = Educational websites
.gov=Governmental websites
.com=Commercial websites
.org: No profit websites/ non-commercial entities

11. When was the information
published?
• Is this information too old? Is it still relevant?
• Is there more recent information available on this topic?
NOTE:
‘Seminal’ works- so called because they presented new ideas that have a
great influence within a particular discipline- can be used even if they
were published a long time ago, but you should generally use recent
publications.

12. Why was the information
published?
• What is the purpose of the website/publication?
• Is a website trying to sell you something?
• Is a website trying to promote a point of view?
• Is the website educational?

13. How was the information
produced?
• Was the information gathered ethically?
• Does it adhere to strict journalistic standards?
• Who paid for the information?
• Is the information provided/sponsored by a Company?
Be on the lookout for bias (fake news, sensationalism, statements unsupported by
evidence, etc.)

14. Being critical
When writing academically, you are expected to be critical of the sources you use
in your assignments. Example of critical analysis include:
• Presenting different opinions on a topic
• Identifying weaknesses in a study (low number of participants, errors or
inconsistency in the methodology, etc.)
• Highlighting the limitations of a study
• General criticism
Remember to always support your statements with evidence (referencing).

15. Any questions?