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Library Hours

HTHRHSC 4590

Evaluating Sources

After you have collected some resources to potentially use in your course assignments or research, it is important to critically evaluate them and decide if they are appropriate sources to use.

Some things you might want to consider include:

  • Who is the author?  What authority do they have on the topic?
  • What are they trying to accomplish with the article?  Are they trying to persuade you?
  • What is the content of the resource?  Are they presenting facts or opinions?
  • Where is the article or resource published?  A peer-reviewed journal, a newspaper, a blog?
  • How current is the resource?  Is the information presented still relevant today?

There are many more things to consider when evaluating a resource, but these are some questions to get you started.

Choosing & Using Sources

Is this Scholarly?

For many assignments, the research you use should come from scholarly sources.  If you are unsure whether you are using a scholarly article, the following resources can help.

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