Evaluating Print (Non-Web) Sources: Digging Deeper...

Now it’s time to start reading the content of the material you’ve chosen!  If the material is a book, search for professional book reviews (as opposed to reader reviews on sites such as Amazon) to see if the book is well regarded and recommended.

 Relevancy

·         Does the resource contain information on your topic?

·         Does it contain the type of information you need (history, analysis, statistics, etc.)?

·         Is it in a format that you can access? (book, eBook, website, journal, magazine, etc.)

Audience

·         Who is the intended reader of the material?

o   General public/practitioners/experts

o   Education level / reading level

o   Gender

o   Political or religious beliefs

o   Specific interests, skills, or employment

o   Age of reader: Youth, adult, seniors, etc.

 Accuracy

·         Is the information correct?

·         Does it support what you’ve read elsewhere, or is it significantly different?

·         Are there spelling or grammatical errors?

·         Does it contain references to any other sources used?

Bias/Objectivity/Tone

·         Does the author state a personal or professional bias or affiliation?

·         Does the author thank a particular organization or group of people?

·         Does the author’s employer support a particular cause or point of view?

·         Does the language seem impartial?

·         Does the author make wild claims?

·         Is emotional or “loaded” language used?