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CST-100: Finding & Citing Resources for Your Speeches / Professor Mohammadi

Evaluating Sources for Credibility

Evaluation Criteria Checklist - Questions to Ask

When evaluating either online or print resources for a research assignment or paper, ask the following questions from the evaluation criteria checklist below:

Evaluation Criteria Checklist - The 5 W's

Who?
  • Who is the author? Is an author listed?
  • What are the author's credentials?
  • Does the author's education or experience qualify them as an authority on the topic they are writing about?
  • What institution or organization is the author affiliated with?
  • Is contact information listed for the author?
  • Who is the intended audience? Is the source written for professionals or the general public?

What?
  • What is the purpose of the information - to educate, entertain, inform, persuade, sell?
  • What type of resource is it? (e.g., advertisement, blog, journal, magazine or newspaper article)
  • What information in this resource should I use in my assignment and how should I use it?
  • Is the information relevant to my topic or does it answer my research questions?
  • Is the information objective or does it contain any biases?
  • Are there any advertisements or sponsors?
 Where?
  • Where does the information come from? (e.g., database, organization, sponsor, .edu, .gov, .org, .com)
  • Where can I look to find out more about the publisher or sponsor?  
  • Where can I use this resource in my assignment?

When?
  • When was the resource published or last updated? Is a publication date listed?
  • Is the information timely or is it outdated?
  • Does my topic require current information? (e.g., science or technology topic)
  • Will older resources be acceptable or preferred? (e.g., history topic or primary source)
  • Do the links on the webpage or website still work?
Why?
  • Why should I use this resource for my assignment?
  • Why is this resource relevant to my thesis?
  • Why is this resource better to use in my assignment than other resources?
  • Does the source add new information to the topic I am researching or does it simply repeat or summarize other perspectives?

Website Domains and Reliability

The web contains a wealth of information published by government departments, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, commercial enterprises and private individuals all over the world. Since there are no standards for information quality on the web, not everything you find will be accurate or appropriate to use as research.

.com sites

Commercial or for-profit company websites - URL addresses are identified by the .com domain suffix:

.edu sites

College and university websites - URL addresses are identified by the .edu domain suffix:

  • Example: Harvard University https://www.harvard.edu
  • Excludes student or faculty pages hosted by the educational institution. 

.gov sites

Government agency and department websites - URL addresses are identified by the .gov domain suffix:

.org sites

Professional society and non-profit organization websites - URL addresses are identified by the .org domain suffix:

What Does .org Mean?

  • The .org domain was originally intended for non-profit organizations and professional associations.
  • Today, anyone can purchase a .org domain, so not all .org sites are legitimate or unbiased.
  • Always evaluate who is behind the website and what their purpose is.

Legitimate .org Websites

Many trusted professional and non-profit organizations use the .org domain. These sites often provide reliable, research-based information.

Examples:

These are recognized organizations that represent their disciplines and are considered authoritative sources.

Advocacy and Bias on .org Sites

Not all .org websites are neutral. Many represent organizations that promote specific causes or viewpoints. These sites can still be valuable, but it’s important to recognize their advocacy role and potential bias.

Examples:

Use these sites to understand particular perspectives, but cross-check information with neutral or scholarly sources.

Misleading or Unreliable .org Websites

Some .org websites look professional but are not legitimate or trustworthy. Be cautious of sites that hide their affiliations or promote biased or false information.

Examples:

Wikipedia – https://www.wikipedia.org 

  • Helpful for background reading but can be edited by anyone.

  • Not always reliable for academic research.

Martin Luther King website (run by Stormfront) - http://martinlutherking.org 

  • Appears respectful but is actually operated by a white nationalist organization.

  • Presents highly biased and misleading content.

Institute for Historical Review (IHR) – http://www.ihr.org

  • Claims to publish historical research but promotes Holocaust denial.

  • Authors often lack credible academic qualifications.

Bullying Statistics – http://www.bullyingstatistics.org

  • Looks official but lacks clear authorship and verifiable data sources.

If it is not obvious the information comes from an authoritative group, look for links such as About Us, Who We Are or Our Mission to evaluate the source.