Source Evaluation Checklist

Source Evaluation Checklist

Source

• What type of source is this (web, book, journal article, etc)?
• Is it published by a reputable organization? Is this organization impartial or position-based? What do they gain from persuading you on this topic?
• Do you detect bias or prejudice in the language?

Author

• Is there an author listed?
• What can you learn about this author? What else as he/she written? Where do they work? What is the basis of their expertise?

Purpose

• Is the purpose of this source to inform, persuade, entertain or some other purpose?

Audience

• Does the source expect the reader to have an opinion? If so, what?
• Does this source assume the audience is informed on the topic or just learning?

Language

• What does the language of the source tell you about the audience or purpose? Is it for professionals, kids, general audience adults, or someone else?
• Does this source use specialized terminology? How well can you understand it?

Presentation

• Does this source appear professional or amateur?
• Are there errors in the content or writing? Broken links? Ads? Weird stuff? Comments?

Timeliness

• When was this source published? Is the information still relevant?

Critical Thinking

• Does the information or argument posed in this source make sense? Do you see fallacies or gaps in logic? Can you easily think of ways to dismiss the source’s position?

Fact Check

• Can you find reviews or commentary of this source?
• Can you crosscheck the information in other sources?

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