This document discusses the importance of evaluating information sources for research. It provides tips for questioning sources and their reliability, as wikipedia is not always accurate due to being openly editable. Students are encouraged to skim sources to identify relevance and information types like books, journals, or personal websites. Developing skills in source evaluation is important for finding high quality sources and conducting good research.

1. Library & Information Skills (Natural Sciences):
4. Evaluation
Vashti Zarach, Academic Support Librarian. CC BY-NC 3.0.

2. There are a huge range of information sources available for your
research, but you must always evaluate whether they are reliable,
accurate, trustworthy and of good quality.
1.Questioning sources
2.Wikipedia
3.Skimming source lists
4.Evaluating
5.Contact details
Contents

3. This infographic from UK newspaper The Guardian shows that ¾ of
the people at a popular music festival voted for the Conservative
party in the General Election:
1. Questioning sources

4. This suggests misleadingly that most Glastonbury goers have certain
political preferences, when in fact the festival audience is very broad.
“The graphic, which at first glance appeared to be from UK
newspaper The Guardian, was actually the creation of a 25-year-old
Irishman, who tweets as @PrayForPatrick.”
(M. Wright. 2015. How a fake Guardian graphic went from one tweet
to fooling the paper’s own writers. TNW News.
http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2015/06/29/too-much-of-a-tall-s-
tory/
Questioning sources

5. Just because a source may look reputable, does not mean it is always
reliable. Reading widely and knowing your subject area well can assist
you to notice when information and facts seem to be suspect.
Additionally, if you are suspicious about a source’s trustworthiness,
whether it be an image, a graph, an article, or other source, do some
background research on the source, author or information.
Just like many of the skills you gain at university, learning to be wary
and critical about information and facts is a very useful skill to apply
to your wider life, e.g. memes (images with words on) on social
media can also be false or misleading.
Questioning sources

6. Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia which many people use to look
up information. It can be a useful starting point for a new topic, but is
not a source lecturers generally like to see cited in a reference list.
Because Wikipedia is a freely editable online site, it gains from the
expertise of many people across the world, but is also vulnerable to
pranks and may contain misleading or false information.
2. Wikipedia

7. Here is a Wikipedia article about marine biologist Maria Portaro:
Wikipedia

8. Mario Portaro is a hoax:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedi
a/Maria_Portaro
A list of Wikipedia hoaxes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedi
a
Information can easily be created online, and spread without
verification. Do not trust everything you read.
Wikipedia

9. Effective information hunters develop the art of looking at lists of
results, and being able to tell as they glance through the list
(skimming) whether the source will be relevant and good quality.
We all process information at different speeds, so it doesn’t matter
whether you do this quickly or slowly, but being able to pick out the
best sources helps you avoid wasting time clicking irrelevant results.
3. Skimming source lists

10. Example: a student is looking for articles on students opinions on
virtual field trips. Are any of these articles relevant?
Note the way you scan the details to see which articles you think will
be relevant. Sometimes you cannot tell until opening the article.
Skimming: relevance

11. Google searches find many sources, you need to consider whether
they are good quality and relevant for use in an academic essay.
From this search page can you identify the sources: 1) a book 2) an
academic journal, 3) an individual’s website 4) a science magazine
Skimming: source types

12. All these skills: questioning sources, looking at their relevance and
quality, and so forth, are almost invisible skills. Some people do them
automatically, others have to develop these habits.
As you search for information, always make sure you are using your
evaluating skills: they will help you find better sources, look at
information more critically, and conduct good quality research.
Don’t just gather and quote low quality “junk food” information; hunt
carefully, read critically, and find the rich, satisfying sources which
best feed your mind and research.
4. Evaluating

13. Library Contact Details:
Tel: 01248 382981
Email: library@bangor.ac.uk
Or use live chat via library website or catalogue, Mon-Fri, 9-4
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Photos by V. Zarach.
4. Contact Details