Evaluating sources is a key aspect of information literacy.
Any source of information can (and should) be evaluated, whether it is a scholarly article or a TikTok video.
The process of evaluating sources supports your assessment and use of information. Further, it will help you create better work, write better papers, and be a good friend. When you step back and consider a source, you may realize that its information is out of date or otherwise incorrect.
Whenever you encounter information, you subconsciously make judgments about it. Learning to evaluate sources will prompt you to bring these judgments to a conscious level. This will make your encounters with and uses of information more fruitful.
Basic questions to consider:
Most of the answers to these questions are subconscious judgments. Writing out why you chose to use a specific source will help you recognize your own biases and limitations as well as help you improve your information literacy skills. With evaluative annotations, you make your reasoning more explicit. how much you trust a source, and why.
Information Literacy will help you look at how the information is created, packaged, and transmitted and then put it into context.
The criteria for evaluating information are as follows; click through each link to learn more:
All of these criteria are interconnected. They reflect the core concepts of the ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy.
To view descriptions of all the criteria at once, along with some additional criteria you may consider, see Criteria for Evaluating Information.
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