How to Evaluate Information Sources

How do you know which sources are the best sources for your research project?

• Have you been asked to find peer reviewed original research articles?
• Have you been asked to find credible sources?
• Have you been asked to evaluate a research article?

What this guide will do for you -

• Ensures your resources match your assignment
• Choose the right resources for your project as you sift through search results​​​

This guide has been designed to help you learn to find and identify the types of quality resources that your project needs.

Still have questions? Is this not working for you? Get in touch with a librarian.

Below are best bets to get started. To learn more about evaluating specific types of sources, navigate the other sections of this guide (Search Engine Results, Peer Reviewed Articles, etc.)

• Watch Evaluating Sources for Credibility (3 minutes), a video from Video NC State University; introduces many concepts important to evaluating most sources.
• Read through Critically Analyzing Information Sources: Critical Appraisal and Analysis, a research guide from Cornell University that focuses on evaluating the content of individual research sources.
• Purdue Owl, a great source on learning to research, has a website Evaluating Sources: an Introduction
• Use the CRAAP Test worksheet from the University of Illinois