Evaluating information

Information has been written for a specific purpose.

Understanding why will tell you about its suitability

Information is for an audience; who are the audience?

Information can be written for the general public; professional and/or practitioners; academics; researchers,

Is the information peer-reviewed?

The nature of the information may reflect this.

Accuracy can be difficult to judge unless you have a thorough understanding of the topic. The level of accuracy can depend upon the type of resource you are using.

Authority refers to the expertise of the author. There should be information about the author which will inform you about whether the author is credible.

Depending on your subject area you may need to consult the most recently published material. This is especially true for law, science based subjects and other rapidly evolving disciplines.

Be aware, that the information may have been superseded by more recent information, or that the information may have been refuted by other authors.

You should try to ensure you are using the most up-to-date information available.

You will need to assess the extent to which your topic is covered.

Try to determine the breadth and depth by looking at the amount of detail the information provides on your topic and its scope.

Be aware of how the information you are consulting is being influenced by personal feelings or opinions when representing facts. Does it represent multiple viewpoints? If the information is heavily biased make sure that you read around the subject.

Relevance is based entirely on your own judgement. You may find information that is current, reliable, and comes from an authoritative source, but not relevant for your specific information need.