Make your selection
Introduction
During your search, you find all kinds of information. Of this, you want to use only relevant and reliable sources. But how do you determine this? In this module we give you guidelines for evaluating different sources.
The main criteria for evaluating publications are:
Relevance: The extent to which the information contributes to answering the (research) question.
When assessing, you pay attention to:
- Content and level
- Form
- Topicality
Reliability: the extent to which you can trust that the information is correct.
In the assessment you will pay attention to:
- the source (author/organization) and creation of the document
- content: it is about accuracy, objectivity, verifiability and quality of information source
Relevance
Relevance is the extent to which the information contributes to answering the research question. This includes both main, partial and search questions. You assess the information and sources of information found according to content, form and topicality.
Content and level of information
Connection of information to question and purpose
- Does the information answer your (research) question?
- Does the information reflect the general picture or does it deal with exceptions or specific areas?
- Do the quality and level of information match your question and purpose? If you are researching depression, an article from Libelle or Quote will not have the required level of quality. Articles from professional magazines or even scientific journals are then more appropriate (see choose sources of information).
- Completeness: Have you not overlooked any relevant information and have you considered all selected opinions? Completeness is often neither possible nor necessary
Form of information
Does the type of information source (book, article, dissertation, etc.) fit your information needs?
If you are looking for background information, you may be better off consulting a book or website than reading an in-depth research article. For writing a lighthearted article in Folia, you will not be so quick to study dissertations (see choose sources of information).
Topicality
This word is usually used for recent events or developments. To determine if information is current, you look to see if the information from a particular year is still true to the current situation. Sometimes certain information does not change. An older book or article may still be current. Publications that continue to hold their value are called core publications. Usually it is important to find current information, but not always. A historian will mainly look for old, often not current information. So it depends on (research) question and purpose.
Reliability
This refers to the degree to which you can trust that the information is accurate. To what extent is the information credible? To what extent is the information objective? You can judge the reliability of information by:
Authority of source (author/organization) and creation of document
- Is the author an authority? Is he a recognized author in his field? For which organization does he work? What is known about the author?
- Is it a reputable organization? Who is the website owner? A paper or website from a respected well-known organization is generally more trustworthy than that of a vague foundation with dubious or unclear objectives
- Is there sponsorship of author or organization? Sponsorship need not be a problem, but be aware that commercial interests may be involved.
- Is there quality control? If so, is there an editorial board? Are articles peer-reviewed? Especially with peer review, there is a high degree of reliability because several experts/scientists have already critically assessed such an article
Correctness
- Are the facts correct? Check if they are confirmed in another source. Note that if you keep seeing the literal text, then the information has been cut and pasted and it is unlikely that the creators of the website checked the information.
- Are opinions supported by facts?
- Does the information come from a primary source or second hand?
Objectivity
- What is the purpose of the information? Is the purpose informational, opinion formation, propaganda, etc.?
- Is it about (hard) facts or opinions?
- Is the subject highlighted from multiple angles?
Quality of information source
Does the information source look professional?
Verifiability
Is there source citation? What is the quality of those sources? Is it verifiable that information is accurate and complete?
Assessing books
How do you determine the value of a book? Books on your book list have already been reviewed by your course. Probably the author is well known and appreciated and this book fits perfectly with the lessons. But how do you evaluate a book yourself? As mentioned earlier, you pay attention to relevance and reliability.
Relevance
Connection to question and purpose
- Does the information fit the questions you have and/or the target audience you are writing for?
- Is a book as an information medium appropriate for your information needs?
- Does the book present a general picture?
- Does the level meet your requirements? Also pay attention to authority here.
Completeness
- Does the book give a complete picture or are more sources needed?
Topicality
- Is current information relevant to your research?
- What is the year of publication?
- Is this the most recent printing?
- Could you expect more recent developments in the meantime?
- If other sources were referenced, how recent are they?
Reliability
Authority
- Who is the author and what authority does this person have?
- What is the author's background and this one has published something before?
- Is there an editor or editors?
- With what intention did the author write the book?
Correctness
- Are the facts in the book correct?
- Are opinions supported by facts?
Objectivity
- Is the information presented objectively?
- Does the book contain mostly facts or opinions?
- What is the purpose of the book? Informative, opinionated, entertainment....
Book quality
- Does the book look professional? Who published it?
- Did the author use scholarly sources? A book with a short bibliography without scholarly sources is probably not appropriate
Verifiability
- Are the facts or data verifiable?
- Are the source citations correct? What are the sources?
Example
You are writing a report on tourism. You found the 2021 book An introduction to the geography of tourism by Velvet Nelson.
Relevance
- This overview book explains concepts and theories. Several chapters and sections fit well with your questions. The level also fits well.
- The information in the book seems quite complete and provides a lot of background information.
Reliability
- The author is a scholar assigned to a university. She has written several books and articles and is well cited by others. The book itself has also been cited a number of times.
- It is a textbook, written specifically for students. That is not a bad thing, but be sure to include other sources in your report that are more geared toward other scholars. The publisher is not a very well-known publisher, but it is an academic publisher. If you look on their website, one of the things you will see is that they work with universities, and the formatting and layout of the book also look professional.
- The bibliography looks thorough with books from scholarly publishers, and recent peer reviewed articles. This list is referenced in the text, so checking the text is possible.
Conclusion
It is on all counts a good book to use.
Assessing articles
Assessing an article is very similar to reviewing a book. The main difference is that the research questions addressed in an article are often more specific than in a book.
Relevance
Connection to question and purpose
- Does the information answer the questions you have?
- Does the information match the questions you have and/or the target audience you are writing for?
- Does an article as a form of information match your information needs?
Completeness
- Does the article give a complete picture. Are more sources needed?
Topicality
- Given your research, how current should the information be?
- What is the year of publication?
- Can you expect more recent developments in the meantime?
- If other sources are referenced; how recent are they?
Reliability
Authority
- Who is the author and what authority does he or she have?
- What is the author's background?
- Has the author published anything before?
- Does the author belong to a research institution or organization?
- With what intention did the author write the article?
- Has the article undergone peer review?
- Is the article cited by other scientists?
Correctness
- Are the facts in the article correct?
- Are opinions substantiated?
Objectivity
- Is the information presented objectively
- Does the article contain mostly facts or opinions?
- What is the purpose of the article? Informational, opinion, entertainment, commercial....
Journal quality
- How does it look, by whom is it published?
Verifiability
- Are the facts or data verifiable?
- Are the source citations correct? What are the sources?
Assessing websites
Anyone can publish on the Internet. That means there is a lot of reliable but also a lot of unreliable information out there. There is often no quality control by an editor or peers. So when you get information from the Internet, you have to be extra critical (see choose sources of information).
Commercial interests may play a role on the Internet. Therefore, you should pay close attention to the independence of websites.
Relevance
- Connection to question and purpose
- Does the information answer the questions you have?
- Does the information match the questions you have and/or the target audience you are writing for?
- Does the information on the website present a general picture?
- Is a website or article on that site an appropriate source for your research?
Completeness
- Does the information found present a complete picture. Are more sources needed?
Timeliness
- Given your research, how current should the information be?
- When was the text posted online?
- When was the site last updated?
- Could you expect more recent developments by now?
- If other sources were referenced, how recent are they?
Reliability
Authority
- Is it clear who wrote the information? What authority does this person have?
- What is the author's background and has the author published anything before?
- Was the website created by an individual or commissioned by an organization or company?
- Does it contain contact information? Is there any mention of the purpose and creation of the website?
Correctness
- Are the facts correct?
- Are opinions supported by facts and/or references?
Objectivity
- Is the information presented objectively?
- Does the information contain mostly facts or opinions?
- What is the purpose of the website? Informational, opinion, entertainment, commercial....
- What interests do the authors have? If you want to check this, search the website for sections such as About this site, Disclaimer or Colophon. You can also get information from the web address:
- .org = nonprofit organization
- .gov = government
- .edu or .ac.uk = education (education, often a university)
- .com = company (businesses, commercial)
- .info = for companies (non-profit or commercial)
- members.chello.nl/ ; geocities.com/users/ (personal)
Website quality
- Does the website look professional, do the hyperlinks work, are there many errors?
Verifiability
- Are the facts or data verifiable?
- Are there professional organizations/websites that link to this site? Many search engines have the ability to look this up.
- Are the source citations correct? What are the sources?
Summary
Look critically and systematically at the information you find. Evaluate not only the individual articles, books and websites you find, but also try to assess whether your search was good.
Relevance
Relevance is the extent to which the information is applicable to your report.
- Does the information answer (part of) your question?
- Is this the best form of information to answer the question?
- Does the information connect well with the target audience?
Reliability
The degree to which you can trust that the information is correct.
If multiple sources confirm the information, this is a sign that the information is probably correct. When a source does not seem reliable, you can do two things:
Consider not using this source.
Post a critical comment.
Topicality
A current book or article need not always be recent. Core publications retain their value over the years.
