Now that you've found your sources, you'll want to make sure they are both appropriate for the assignment and they are credible sources.
Go back to your assignment and look at what your instructor is asking for. Do you have the right types of sources? If they wanted scholarly journal articles, make sure you've included some.
You also want to review your sources to ensure that they are credible, which just means they are trustworthy. Use the information below to critically evaluate your sources and ensure they are the best sources to support your argument.
Stop
First, when you first hit a page or post and start to read it - STOP. Ask yourself whether you know the website or source of the information, and what the reputation of both the claim and the website is.
Investigate the source
Taking sixty seconds to figure out where it is from before reading will help you decide if it is worth your time, and if it is, help you to better understand its significance and trustworthiness.
Find better coverage
Sometimes you don't care about the particular article that reaches you. You care about the claim the article is making. You want to know if it is true or false. In this case your best strategy is to ignore the source that reached you and look for other trusted reporting or analysis on the claim.
Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context
Maybe a claim is made about a new medical treatment based on a research finding — but you’re not certain if the cited research paper really said that. In these cases we'll have you trace the claim, quote, or media back to the source, so you can see it in its original context and get a sense if the version you saw was accurately presented.
Test Yourself!
