WHERE?
Where is this information coming from? Who's the publisher?
If it's a periodical (either online or in print), is it a scholarly or popular source? Review the differences between scholarly and popular sources. You might also look in Magazines for Libraries or Ulrich's Periodical Directory for an evaluation of a periodical, journal or magazine. If it's information coming from an association or organization, look in the Encyclopedia of Associations at your library. Find out something about the group, such as mission, purpose, number of subscribers, list of publications, etc.If it's a book, look to see where it was published. Is it from a university press, a well-known publisher or other reputable source? Is it a reference book in a library? Will it lend credibility to your research project? Can you use it?
WHEN?
When was it written, recorded or published? Does it matter? Is timeliness an issue? Is it a past or current event? Is it literary or historical? Will the date of publication impact the issue? Is the information updated regularly, or doesn't that matter? Here again, you're the judge! Look at the date the information was written and decide whether you can use it.WHY?
Why was it written? Is its purpose:
to sell?
to inform?
to educate?
to present a point of view?
to persuade?
to entertain?
to exchange ideas?
to mislead?
Is it fact or opinion?
Is it propaganda?
HOW?
How is it presented? Is it easy to use? Is it laid out well? If it's a reference book, is it indexed well? Can you find the information easily?The question of how information is presented is not really in the same league with Who? What? Where? When? and Why? These questions address credibility, origin, purpose and date of publication. The question of how addresses format, design, manner of presentation, and ease of use.
ONE FINAL QUESTION:
When is the best time to evaluate an information source?
As you find it After your paper is written After you've printed everything out or copied pages of the book and had time to read through it
