Currency
- When was the source published?
- Do you need current information?
Some research topics will require more up-to-date information than do others. (For example, scientific topics tend to require more current sources than do many humanities-focused topics.)
Audience
- For whom is the source intended?
- What is the publication's purpose or scope?
- Is this a scholarly or popular source? A professional/trade journal?
Relevance
- What does the source add to an understanding of your topic or argument?
- How does the source relate to other information you have found?
- How does the source relate to your ideas or argument?
- Is there a list of references? It can point you to other relevant sources.
Authorship
- What are the authors' credentials or background in this area?
- Has this author written other articles, papers, reports or books on this same topic?
Bias
- Does the author present multiple sides of issues??
- Has this author provided sufficient evidence?
- Does the author use highly charged or emotional language?
(Almost all sources have some degree of bias. A well-reasoned argument, however, considers multiple viewpoints.)
