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We all want information that is accurate but unless you already know a lot about a topic how do you know if the information you are looking at is accurate and reliable? The following five criteria can help you to evaluate information in all formats:
Accuracy is the degree to which the information is correct.
Authority is the degree to which the producers of the information are qualified to present that information.
Depending upon your research needs you may or may not need the most current research. If you work in the sciences or health care you will almost always want the most current work available. If you are in history or literature, materials published during a wide range of time periods will be appropriate.
Almost all information is biased in some way. As a reader (or consumer of information) your job is to identify the point of view or motive of the author and then decide if the information at hand is appropriate for your needs.
Relevancy is the degree to which the information meets your current research needs.
More about evaluating books and journal articles from Cornell
More about evaluating websites from Cornell