FYS: La Musica: Classical Music and the Self: Love, Conflict, and Spirituality: Evaluating Sources (General)

1. Author / Editor

• Who is the author and/or editor?
  • The author and/or editor (one or more people or organizations) should be identified.
• Is the author and/or editor credible?
  • The author and/or editor should have credentials and expertise relevant to the topic.

2. Publisher

• Who published this information?
  • The organization(s) that published and/or sponsored the information source should be identified.
• Why was this information published?
  • The most credible information sources are those that have been published in order to present balanced, unbiased coverage of a topic (or at least to present both sides of an issue).
  • The least credible sources are those that have been published in order to promote a certain point of view.
  • Information about the organization(s) publishing and/or sponsoring the source can usually be found in the front or back of a printed book or journal, or in the About Us or Mission section of a web site.  You may need to do additional research on the organization(s) in order to discover a hidden agenda or bias.

3. Content

• Is the content relevant to your project or paper? 
  • It should cover the specific aspects of your topic.
  • It should be up-to-date, if timeliness is critical for your topic. (Check the publication date or, for web sites, the date of the last update.)
• Is the content accurate and unbiased?
  • It should be well thought out, well presented, and well supported with credible sources that can be checked.
  • If it has been reviewed and accepted by experts in the field, there should be less chance for mistakes and bias. 
  • Keep in mind that a bias can be obvious or subtle. It can be hard to perceive a bias if you tend to agree with the arguments presented.

Evaluating Web Pages by UC Berkeley

Evaluating Web Sites by Butler University Libraries

Evaluating Journals by Butler University Libraries