Evaluating Information and Information Sources
Is This Information Credible?
Last, but by absolutely no means least, it is necessary to evaluate the credibility of your sources. Credible sources are vital in your academic work (and in everyday life), however it would be frustrating to spend precious time evaluating a source for credibility, only to realise you that cannot use it for your project as it is not the category of source that your lecturer requires (generally speaking lecturers want scholarly sources for your assignments), or because the source is not relevant to your research question. Hence, we usually investigate those criteria first.
What Makes Information Credible?
- Credible information is created by a person who is highly knowledgeable in the subject matter.
- Most often this in-depth knowledge is acquired by advanced study and work in the subject area, and subject experts are often employed in universities or research institutions. Expertise can also be acquired via substantial or unique life experiences in a specific area. Note however, that information based on the latter would not usually constitute scholarly information.
- Credible information is balanced, factual, and created for the purpose of informing and advancing knowledge. Biased information is often misleading, presenting only one point of view, aiming to persuade, sell something or pursue a particular ‘agenda’.
- Credible information is based on transparent, appropriately conducted research: using appropriate methods of research design, data collection and analysis, balanced reporting, etc.
- Peer-review adds an extra layer of ‘quality control’ to scholarly information.
Scholarly Sources
If you have identified your sources as scholarly sources it is a pretty safe bet that the information contained therein is credible. This applies even more strongly to peer-reviewed scholarly sources as they have that extra layer of ‘quality control’. This is not to say that information published in peer-reviewed journals has never subsequently been found to be inaccurate, unreliable, or misleading, and hence retracted; however this is relatively rare.
Need a reminder of how to identify scholarly sources? Click on the link below and scroll down.
Identifying scholarly material
Evaluating Other Types of Sources for Credibility
While scholarly information is essential in your academic work you may also be required to include information that falls outside the scholarly realm. If doing so you will need to ensure the credibility of this information. The requirement to include information other than scholarly is heavily influenced by your academic discipline and your research question; do check in with your lecturer what is required if you are unsure.
It is possible to apply some of the same criteria that are used to deem information scholarly to all types of information, in all formats, including information we find on online, to reach an informed opinion on its credibility. Some questions we can ask about potential sources are:
Who created the information?
If they are not a scholar in the subject area what qualifies the author to write or speak authoritatively on the topic? Can you find information about them that will verify their authority? Are they affiliated with a reputable organisation? Have they authored other work on this topic? Can you find reviews of their work?
Who published the information?
Is the book, magazine, website, recording, image, etc. published by a reputable organisation or does it look like some unknown and unverifiable person has created and published the source?
What is the purpose of the information?
The purpose of scholarly information is to share and build on knowledge, what is the purpose of this piece of information? Is this unclear? Perhaps it seeks to entertain, or to persuade you in a particular direction, rather than to present facts?
What is the tone of the information piece?
What kind of language is used? While the information may not be written in academic language, the language used should be measured and professional. Emotive or sensational language is often used as a tactic to persuade or invoke a response rather than to inform, and is indicative of a biased source.
Is the information backed up by sources?
Does the author provide evidence for their argument, or do they want you to just accept what they state? If facts and information from other sources are present, is it possible to find these sources to confirm that they were not fabricated or misquoted? Also are they reputable sources?
Who is the audience?
Can you gauge the intended audience of the information you are evaluating? Does it seem too simplistic for your assignment?
