EVALUATIING AND CITING SOURCES
Not all information is created equal, so it's important to carefully evaluate the information you use in your paper. Print or non-print sources, you don't know a source is good quality until you evaluate it. Information found on the Internet can be particularly tricky. When you evaluate a source you are asking about the quality of the information being presented.
- Who wrote or sponsored the book/article/web site?
- Is there a noticeable bias to the work?
- When was it published/ updated?
- What types of sources cited?
- How does it fit with other information you've found?
Citations are a very important part of any research project because they show where you got your information No paper is complete without a list of endnotes/ footnotes and a bibliography. There are several different styles for presenting this citation information so it's best to check with your teacher before you begin.
"Harvesting" Citations is a good way to find additional sources. By looking at the works listed in the bibliography of the works you use, you can both verify the information and find additional sources for yourself.
Selected Sources
- Exploring the Internet using critical thinking skills: a self-paced workbook - ZA4201 .J66 1998
- The Chicago Manual of Style - Ref Z 253 U69 1993
- Writing the Research Paper: A Handbook - Ref LB 2369 W55 1999
- MLA Handbook - Ref LB 2369 G53 2003
- Five Criteria for Evaluating Web sites
- Critical Evaluation of Sources
