Currency refers to how recent the information is.
Remember that currency is only one of several areas to consider when evaluating a source. Just because a source is current does not mean that it is the best choice for your research.
Information posted online can be there for several years. It's your job as a researcher to be a detective and hunt for the date that the information was posted or last updated.
These open access materials go more in-depth into related issues, strategies, and importance of evaluating information and resources.
Ask yourself these questions when thinking about the currency of a source and its information:
Image source: "Question Copyright 2" by Stephan Baum is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Sometimes, the currency of the source is very important. For example, if you are researching about a time-sensitive topic such as a current event, then it's important to find sources that have been published recently. Likewise, if you are searching for information about what restaurant to go to tonight, it's important to use current information. (You don't want to arrive at a location only to find that the restaurant went out of business ages ago!)
For example, if you are searching for literary criticism about Shakespeare's plays, then the currency might not matter at all. Criticism written in 1902 about imagery in Hamlet can still be relevant today.
Image source: "Clocks 001" by Albert Jankowski, WikiMedia Commons is in the Public Domain
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