Step 6:   Evaluate Sources

The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.--Edward R. Murrow, CBS News. (qtd. in Simpson)

Read and evaluate your sources, keeping those that are pertinent, authoritative, and unbiased. How can you tell?

• author name and affiliation are displayed
• the information is accurate and conclusions are supported
• the author acknowledges the research and ideas of others
• the document does not serve propaganda, sales, advocacy, or promotional purposes
• the information addresses one or more aspects of your topic
• you have gathered a variety of sources (books, articles, data or statistics, and web sites)

For detailed evaluation guidelines see Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources, and Thinking Critically about Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources

Assets:  final annotated bibliography of books, articles, and other documents

Click on Write/Document to continue.