Evaluting Information Sources

Authority

Authority refers to the expertise and reputation of the author and publisher.  Chances are you’re more likely to trust information that was written by an expert or someone with knowledge of the subject.  You’ll also want to be sure that the information is published by a reputable magazine or journal. Imagine this: You’re looking for information on the economic crisis.  You may find an article called “Solutions for a Tough Economy.”  The title sounds perfect, right?  Well, when you Google the author’s name you realize he is expert in fashion and cosmetics.  Then, you notice that it was published in a magazine called Vogue.   The author isn’t an expert in economics and the publisher is better suited to giving fashion advice than economic analysis.  In this case, even though the title of the article is great, the authority is very low. 

Some questions that will help you evaluate the authority are:

• What, if any, qualifications does the author have to write about this subject?
• What credentials does the author have?  Do they list a PhD, MD or other information that gives you a sense of their qualifications?
• Has the author written other pieces on this topic?
• Where is this article published?
• What other types of information do they publish?
• Is the publication well-respected in your area of interest?

Accuracy

If an article is accurate its facts can usually be verified.  Determining the accuracy of the article is especially important if you’re unsure about the author or publication.  Let’s imagine, for example, that you found an article that claims that more people bike to work than drive to work in Baltimore City. Before you blindly trust the information from the author, you’ll want to verify that information with another source.  Perhaps you’ll find another article or website that verifies those facts.  If you don’t, you’ll want to be skeptical of the rest of the information in that article.

To determine the accuracy of an article, you may ask yourself some of the following questions:

• Are there citations listed in the article?  If so, those citations should tell you where the author found their information and you can use those sources to verify the information.
• Do the authors explain how they gathered their information? 
• Do the authors point to reputable, recognizable sources for information?
• Can you find any of the information from the article repeated in a source you know to be credible?
  

Objectivity

Evaluating the point of view of an article can be challenging.  Your goal is to figure out of the author is presenting a neutral point of view or if the author is only showing you one side of the story.  Imagine you’re looking for information about the health effects of red meat.  You find an article written by the president of the Red Meat Farmers Association explaining that red meat is exceptionally healthy and cures all kinds of ailments.  Chances are the article isn’t very objective.  The author is probably only telling you one side of the story.  This bias doesn’t necessary mean the article is worthless, but it’s something you must consider when gathering your sources.

Some questions that will help you evaluate the objectivity of an article are:

• Is the author trying to persuade the reader or sell a product?
• Is a person or organization affiliated with the story likely to sway the point of view?
• Is the author’s intent to inform the reader? 
• Does the article cover all necessary aspects of the topic?
• What word choices did the author make? Sometimes the use of “I, me, my” can be indicators of bias.

Currency

Currency looks at how recent the information was published or created.  The importance of this factor will vary depending on your topic.  If you’re researching World War II, articles from 1996 and 2012 might both be appropriate.  If, however, you’re researching breast cancer you may know that facts change very quickly in that field and information from 1996 will likely be very outdated.  In that case you’ll want to stick to very current information. 

Some questions that will help you evaluate the currency of an article are:

• When was the article published?
• If the author included citations, are they to recent publications?
• If the author included data, is the data from studies done recently?
• Is my topic one that demands very recent information?
  

Coverage

Coverage is a way of exploring all of the previous evaluation criteria in one factor.  Coverage looks at whether the source is really the best choice for the job.  Imagine that you’re doing research on the changes in the Baltimore real estate market over time.  Ideally you’ll want an article that includes both current and historical information.  You’ll also get more use of an article that covers Baltimore specifically rather than the entire United States.  The article will be even more suitable if it comes from a publication that covers real estate specifically.  An article from a specialized real estate journal is likely to have more knowledge of that industry than a general magazine like Time or Newsweek and might be more reliable. 

Some questions that will help you evaluate the coverage are:

• What topics are covered in the article? You can often get a sense of this by looking at the abstract or skimming the headings.
• What topics are covered in the publication? You can often get a sense of this by looking at the table of contents.
• How in-depth is the article?
• Does this article relate to my topic? Is it too broad? Too specific?
• Is the article relevant to my specific need?