Evaluating Sources

For more on critical reading and thinking, see Chs. 23.

After you locate and collect information, you need to think critically and evaluate — in other words, judge — your sources.

Why Evaluating Sources Matters

In a College Course

  • You have found half a dozen sources about your topic, but they wildly disagree; you have to decide what to do next.
  • You found a Web site without any author, a testimonial by a TV star you dimly remember, and a boring article by a professor, but you don’t know which one to believe.

In the Workplace

  • You have to prepare a recommendation for a client after deciding what data and field reports to provide.

In Your Community

  • You disagree with the mayor’s decision to ban urban gardening, so you want to find current, substantial information that will change her mind.

image When have you decided which sources to use and which to skip? In what situations do you expect to evaluate sources again?