Evaluating Sources for Quality
As a post-secondary learner, you will need to find and use a variety of sources in your coursework and research. In most cases, the best place to find quality information is your institution’s library, searching in person or via online databases (Burnell et al, n.d.). However, there will also be times when you need to find information using web browsers (e.g., Google Chrome) and search engines (e.g., Google Scholar).
Regardless of how you find your sources, it is essential that you evaluate each source for quality before deciding to use it in your coursework or research. Evaluating sources for quality is especially important for open access sources that you find using web browsers and search engines because these sources are not published through traditional methods, and many are not peer-reviewed.
When evaluating the sources you find through online searches, it is advisable to evaluate each source based on the following criteria:
- type of source
- content and audience
- and author’s authority
Type of Source
In research, sources can be classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary. The type of sources you need for your projects will depend on the research questions you are asking and the arguments you are making.
Primary sources are “original” data or evidence created by the authors. These sources vary in format depending on the discipline in which they are being used. For example, in science, primary sources are generated by scientists doing experiments. The primary sources are the results of the experiments. In English, primary sources are the texts (e.g., books or poems) that scholars are analyzing, such as the novels of a particular writer. And in sociology or history, the primary sources could be the interviews recorded and transcribed by a researcher.
Secondary sources provide an interpretation or analysis of primary sources. Tertiary sources summarize primary and secondary sources.
You may use one or all of these types of sources throughout the research process (Attridge Bufton & Samokishyn, 2022).
Content and Audience
Sources can also be categorized by content and audience. Academic, popular news, and social media sources are categories that identify sources in terms of the content (the information presented) and audience (individuals or groups for which the information is intended).
Categorizing sources is an important step in the process of evaluating sources to determine if they are appropriate for a given research task. In addition, it is also important to understand what types of sources you could use and in what context.
Typically, your instructor will identify the types of sources that are required for a given academic project. When you are searching for sources, you must understand the type of source you are required to use and differentiate between the various sources you find in your information searches so that you choose the right types of materials for your project (Attridge Bufton & Samokishyn, 2022).
Is it fake news?
Image 3.11
Source: iStock
Description: A person with medium skin holding a smartphone. Text overlaying the photograph includes: mind control, fake news, disinformation, trends, creating, and recognize. “Fake news” is shown several times.
The term "fake news" is a problematic term. It can easily be politicized and used to undermine news sources that may not agree with one's beliefs. Instead, the terms misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information may better describe the many facets of "fake news" (The Learning Portal, n.d.):
- Misinformation is information that is false, but the person who is disseminating it believes that it is true.
- Disinformation is information that is false, and the person who is disseminating it knows it is false. It is a deliberate, intentional lie and points to people being actively disinformed by malicious actors.
- Mal-information is information based on reality but used to inflict harm on a person, organization, or country.
Image 3.12
Source: First Draft News. (n.d.). Figure 1: Information disorder [Image]. Adapted from UNESCO. (2018). Journalism, ‘Fake News’ & Disinformation: Handbook for Journalism Education and Training. United Nations. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265552
Description: A Venn diagram of “information disorder”. There are two overlapping circles. The left circle is labeled “False” and includes “mis-information” such as false connection and misleading content. The right circle is labeled “Intent to Harm” and includes “mal-information” such as leaks, harassment, and hate speech. The overlapping portion of the circles includes “dis-information” such as false context, imposter content, manipulated content, and fabricated content.
The SIFT Method for Online Resources
SIFT is designed to facilitate a critical approach to thinking about and evaluating information published and accessed online.
The acronym stands for:
- Stop
- Investigate the source
- Find trusted coverage
- Trace claims, quotes, and media to original content
It is critical to question the authority of those who publish information—both in print and digital formats—in order to understand the inherent biases in any publication.
In particular, with information disseminated online through a variety of platforms (e.g., newspapers, government agencies, and social media sites), readers can easily encounter and access factual information as well as misinformation and disinformation (forms of false information).
Faced with this array of “true” and “false” information can be overwhelming, and we can benefit from using a reasonable set of criteria to determine if information is appropriate for academic work (Attridge Bufton & Samokishyn, 2022).
Try It!
Find an online article or blog post and apply the SIFT method to evaluate the credibility of the information.
Author’s Authority
Sources should also be evaluated in terms of the authority of the author and any inherent bias that might be embedded in the creation of a source. An author’s authority is determined by their knowledge, expertise, and credentials (e.g., education) that empower them to be authorities on a given subject.
Authority is not a given. Instead, it is “constructed” or created within a community based on key ideas and beliefs. Different communities will recognize not only different forms of authority but also the different forms of information considered to be authoritative. Consequently, authority is also “contextual”—it depends on the circumstances, environment, and setting in which it is created. As a result, sources must be evaluated in terms of the authority of the authors as well as the context in which they are created.
For example, peer-reviewed journal articles are considered authoritative academic sources because the authors have the credentials (i.e., academic degrees) required for this type of work. They produce their data according to academically approved methods (e.g., by experiments or archival research), and their work is reviewed and approved by their peers before being published.
However, we must also consider factors such as privilege and positionality when evaluating sources. An author’s authority, and therefore the authoritative nature of certain forms of information, can reflect embedded biases that privilege some authors (and communities) over others and call into question the nature and validity of various sources (Attridge Bufton & Samokishyn, 2022).
The ACT UP Framework
One framework for evaluating sources based on bias is the ACT UP framework.
ACT UP stands for:
- Authority
- Currency
- Truthfulness
- Unbiased
- Positionality and privilege
This framework is only one set of criteria for evaluating sources. However, these criteria encourage us to be attentive to the social, political, and economic contexts in which an author’s credibility is established and the impact of these contexts on the nature of information being produced.
For example, social, political, and economic barriers may result in some people being excluded from educational programs and research positions and, therefore, certain topics are under researched and not well explored or understood.
Try It!
Find another online article or blog post and apply the ACT UP method to evaluate the source for potential biases.
Image 3.13
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: Tips for evaluating sources. The first tip is Evaluate everything you find as you’re searching: Remember not everything you find online is reliable. And depending on your topic, you may need your information to be more current. Think about what types of resources you need and evaluate each one as you’re searching. With practice, this step will become second nature! The second tip is Use an evaluation checklist: Use the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (CRAAP) Evaluation Checklist, or another evaluation tool when selecting websites. These evaluation tools will help you identify the best possible resources for your assignment. The third tip is Evaluate journal articles critically: Just because they are published in academic journals, does not mean they shouldn't be evaluated for validity. Look at the article sections, and evaluate the information shared by the authors critically. If a claim made in a journal article seems at odds with consensus, try to find other articles that back up or dispute the claims made. For example, one article may be published about the benefits of an alternative health method. However, consensus from various academic journals may dispute this claim, and the first article can be ignored. The fourth and final tip is Consider content in open access journals: Some open access journals are more reliable than others. Whenever using this type of information source, try to find out as much as possible about the journal itself, and its article selection process.
Activity
Let’s help Shayan apply the CRAAP test!
Shayan is doing research for a project on the K to 12 Indigenous curriculum in Ontario. He does a Google search and finds a website that might be useful, but he needs to evaluate the website’s quality before deciding whether to use it.
First, match the information about Shayan’s website with the correct CRAAP criteria. Drag the criteria on the left to the matching website information on the right.
Thinking about evaluating sources for quality in digital research…
- What types of sources might you need to find in your post-secondary courses?
- How will you evaluate the quality of these sources (e.g., SIFT, ACT UP, CRAAP)?
- Who or what can support you in finding and evaluating sources?
Learn more about evaluating sources for quality!
The Learning Portal. (n.d.). Evaluate Your Resources. College Libraries Ontario. https://tlp-lpa.ca/research/evaluate-for-quality
Burnell, C., Wood, J., Babin, M., Pesznecker, S., & Rosevear, N. (n.d.). Finding Quality Texts. In The Word on College Reading and Writing. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/wordcollegerw/chapter/finding-quality-texts/
George, T. (2021, August 27). Applying the CRAAP Test & Evaluating Sources. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/craap-test/