1. Evaluating Information Sources

2. The Web and print sources (books, magazines, newspaper) are helpful sources for research.

3. Unfortunately not all are reliable, relevant accurate, unbiased, or up-to-date.

4. Therefore before being used, information should be evaluated.

5. A useful tool of evaluation is CARRDS.

6. CARRDS
C CREDIBILITY
A ACCURACY
R RELIABLITY
R RELEVANCE
D DATE
S SOURCE
S SCOPE & PURPOSE

7. CREDIBILITY CREDIBILITY – The quality and capacity of belief.
Who is the author?
What are his or her credentials?
Education? Experience?
What evidence is offered of his or her
knowledge?

8. ACCURACY ACCURACY – Freedom from mistake and error.
Can facts, statistics, or other information be
verified through other sources?
Do there appear to be errors on the page
(i.e., spelling, grammar, facts)?

9. RELIABILITY
RELIABILITY – The extent to which a source gives the same information as other sources.
Does the source present a particular view
or bias?
Is the information linked to an
organization that has a particular political
or social agenda?

10. RELEVANCE
RELEVANCE – The relationship to the focused topic or question.
Does the information directly support the
thesis or help to answer the research question?
Can it be eliminated or ignored because it
simply does not help?

11. DATE
DATE – The time at which an information source is published or produced.
Does this project need current, up-to-date
information?
When was this Web page created?
When was it last updated?

12. SOURCE SOURCE – A primary reference work or point of origin.
Is the information based on primary or
secondary sources?
Did the author document his or her sources?
What kind of links or further reading did the
author choose?

13. SCOPE & PURPOSE
SOURCE & PURPOSE – The range of information on a given topic and the reason behind its creation.
Does this source address the thesis in a
way that makes sense?
Is it material that can easily be read and
understood? (if you don’t understand it, don’t use it! )

14. These questions should be posed each time a research source is considered.
If the source does not pass any element of the CARRDS test, it should not be used.

15. The free Web is the part of the Web that is accessible by search engines. A search engine is an information retrieval system. It is the most common tool used to locate information on the Web. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information which must be consulted.

16. Examples of Search Engines
A search engine is often free and so you get what you pay for……it is sometimes not trustworthy.
Examples:
AltaVista
Google
Yahoo
Excite
Lycos
Dogpile

17. Another strategy designed for evaluating Web content is to examine the end or suffix of the domain name. This helps to: 1. Determine if the information source is valid Determine potential bias.

18. The suffix identifies who the source of information is and, therefore, what their purpose is in conveying that information.

19. Examples of Domain Suffixes
.com – A commercial site. Purpose to sell a product or service. May
have a built-in bias that you must be aware of.
.biz – A business that could be trying to sell a product or service.
May have built-in bias.
.edu – A school, university, museum, or educational site. Normally
reliable.
.gov – A U.S. government site. Normally reliable.
.int – An international institution. Normally reliable.
.mil – A U.S. military site. Normally reliable.
.museum – A museum. Often reliable
.name – An individual Internet user. Not reliable and may have bias
.net – A network service provider, Internet administrative site.
.org – An organization, often non-profit. These sites can provide
accurate information, but usually have bias.
.pro – A professional’s site.
~ (tilde) or % – A personal site that varies in its credibility