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Identifying Quality Information

People write for many different reasons - to inform, entertain, persuade, mislead, satirize, describe, etc. and the quality of the information can depend on the reason it was written or shared. Information changes as new facts, data, and knowledge comes to light. In an academic assignment, it is important to use information that is reliable, accurate, objective, and up-to-date. You will need to evaluate each source you locate, to determine if it is something that will support or contradict your thesis and/or topic. You will look at more sources than you need, and that is okay, and encouraged! The more sources you read, the more informed you are about the topic and can pick the best resources for your assignment.

Below is a list of videos, eBooks, and websites that can help you evaluate information and sources.

Evaluating Information: Media Sources - Video Playlist
6 part video series
Learn strategies for evaluating sources whether you find them on the Internet, in the library, or in the library’s databases.
Evaluating Sources Using the SIFT Model - eBook
"One of the biggest challenges that writers face is finding credible sources. Mike Caulfield created the SIFT acronym to describe four moves that writers should make to evaluate their sources."
Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research by Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries - eBook
Section 6: Evaluating Information includes chapters on thinking critically, evaluating for relevancy and credibility, and identifying degree of bias.
How to Spot Fake News Infographic
"IFLA has made this infographic with eight simple steps (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News) to discover the verifiability of a given news-piece in front of you." -- IFLA

Find Background Information

Sources such as encyclopedias and hot topics databases can be good places to get a sense of what some of the areas of interest within your topic are.

Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Search hundreds of scholarly, subject-specific reference titles in many topic areas, including the arts, business, education, history, the sciences, technology, literature, and the social sciences. Excellent for in-depth overviews of terms or concepts. Search individual e-books or whole collections.
Sage Reference This link opens in a new window
Search and read entries from over one hundred social science and science specialized reference encyclopedias published by Sage.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
Authoritative record of words in the English language. Includes definitions, word origins, and quotations showing the range of word meanings from the time they entered the language to the present.

Databases and Search Engines

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Get full-text access to magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals in the sciences, social sciences, business, education, and the humanities. Full-text may be available via Find-It. Useful place to begin broad searches for general topics.

Library databases by subject area/discipline
Browse the subjects and find recommended databases.

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Indexes research literature across a wide range of disciplines and formats. Use the library connection to gScholar to get more attached full-text articles.