When it comes to finding resources for university assignments, you need to consider how authoritative the source is.
Not all information is credible or true, and sources vary widely in their currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and bias. Use these criteria to evaluate your sources before deciding if they are suitable to use in your assignment.
| Currency | Is the resource up-to-date? Does it consider the latest research in your field? Some disciplines advance more quickly than others. Currency is more important in some assignments than others. |
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| Relevance | What is the source about: is it relevant for your topic? Does it have the information you need? Consider the intended audience. A resource written for young children will not be relevant for your assignment. |
| Authority | Can you find out who the author is, what their qualifications are and who they are affiliated with? Is the writing skewed toward use of facts or opinion? If it is a journal article, is it from a reputable, peer-reviewed journal? |
| Accuracy | Is the resource accurate and precise? Is the information properly referenced? |
| Bias | Think about why the resource was created. Is the author trying to convince you of their opinion, or trying to sell you something? Did they receive funding from a corporation to conduct the research? These factors could make the resource more biased and less objective. |
Evaluating resources
Evaluating websites
Now that you’ve evaluated your resources, you can starting building a list of references that you have used in your assignment.
