Evaluating Sources (Pierce College)

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• Author: Kari Kells

• Type of resource: handout

• Method of delivery: web

• Intended audience: college & university students

• Keywords: Evaluating sources

• URL: http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/Library/quicktips/evaluating.doc

• Date added: 11/10/05

• Technology/software used (if known and applicable): Microsoft Word

Table of contents

1 Description 2 See Also 3 External Links 4 References

Description

Your critical evaluation skills are a vital part of doing effective research, whether it is for your classes or in your personal life. There isn’t one perfect indicator of a source's usefulness or reliability, so you need to look at several factors contributing to your overall judgment.

All of the questions on this handout point to the whos, whats, wheres and whys of sources... What does this source say? Who says it? Why do they say it? What is their evidence? Where did they find the information? Why should readers believe it? Is it known to be true? Is it the whole truth? Who else supports it? Are their arguments reasonable?

See Also

External Links

References