Evaluating for credible, authoritative, reliable sources: Home
This guide will help you...
...decide whether you should use the information you find during research.
This can be a challenging decision to make!
Areas of evaluation:
Before using sources in your academic work, you need to evaluate them. Here are five areas of evaluation to consider when reviewing sources:
- Authority
- Accuracy
- Bias
- Currency
- Relevancy
These areas of evaluation are discussed in detail in the following tabs.
As you evaluate sources, keep in mind that the credibility, authority and reliability of a source often depends on the context of your research. In other words, it depends on the type of information you are looking for and the reason you are looking for it.
Image Source: "Books, Stack, Book Store" by Eli Francis is in the Public Domain, CC0
Evaluating sources video tutorial
Watch the video below. To see it in a larger window, click on the link below.
Related TCC library guides
Your librarians
TCC Library Research Chat
Chat with a Librarian
Have a question? Need help researching? Not sure where to find what you need?
Use the box below to chat with a (human) librarian 24/7
Except where otherwise noted, the content in these guides by Tacoma Community College Library is licensed under CC BY SA 4.0.
This openly licensed content allows others to cite, share, or modify this content, with credit to TCC Library. When reusing or adapting this content, include this statement in the new document: This content was originally created by Tacoma Community College Library and shared with a CC BY SA 4.0 license.
Tacoma Community College Library - Building 7, 6501 South 19th Street, Tacoma, WA 98466 - P. 253.566.5087
Visit us on Instagram!