VTCC: Information Evaluation

As you decide which resources to include in your research, here are some things to think about:

• Authority: Who wrote it? What sort of expertise do they have in this area?
• Coverage: Is it relevant to your topic?
• Objectivity: Is there any bias? If so, how much?
• Accuracy: Is the information correct? Is it in alignment with other research findings or articles?
• Currency: When was your resource produced? Does this matter for your topic?

trustworthy. Where can you find information that will help you apply the basic evaluation criteria?

• Front cover of the periodical
• Back cover of the periodical
• Advertisements
• Instructions to authors
• Publisher of the periodical
• Editors
• Statement of the purpose and editorial policy
• Table of contents
• Bibliography and footnotes
• Text
• Overall quality

Peer reviewed articles may also be called "scholarly" or "refereed."  The term peer review refers to an editorial process in which experts from a particular discipline scrutinize articles before they are published by a journal.  Watch the video below for a good overview of what these articles are, and why you should know about and use them.

Many thanks to our friends at NC State University for creating such a fantastic video!