This document discusses key factors for evaluating the quality and reliability of information sources, including authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and review process. It provides questions to consider about the author's credentials, whether facts are supported by research, the goal and intended audience, publication date, and whether sources have undergone peer review. Evaluating sources on these criteria helps determine their value and worthiness.

1. Choosing the Winners: The Best Information Sources

2. How Do You Determine the Value or Worth of Information Sources? Authority Accuracy Objectivity Currency Review Process

3. Authority Who is the author? What are their credentials? Does the book contain any biographical information about the author? Does the journal article indicate their institutional affiliation (university, company, etc.) and education? Does the author have subject expertise? Who is the sponsor of the website?

4. Accuracy Are the facts or information on the website, in the article or book accurate? Are facts quoted out-of-context? Does the author refer to other research? Do the authors back up their research with references or have a bibliography?

5. Objectivity and Purpose What is the goal or purpose? Does it inform, persuade, report research or sell a product? Who is the intended audience? Does it contain the needed information? Does the author have a bias or is it a balanced viewpoint? Is the source scholarly, trade, or popular?

6. Currency When was the information published? Is the publication date important for the topic? When was the website last updated?

7. Review Process Is the journal peer-reviewed? When searching a database can you restrict your search results to peer-reviewed, academic or scholarly articles only? Can you determine the publisher? Are they reputable? Is it an association, society, commercial or government publisher?