Sources found on the Web can provide valuable information, but verifying their credibility may take time. Before using a Web source in your paper, make sure you know who created the material and for what purpose. Sites with reliable information can stand up to careful scrutiny. For a checklist on evaluating Web sources, see the chart in R3-c.

Assessing multimodal sources with your research question in mind

You may find that, for your topic, the best sources are videos such as public service ads, interviews delivered as podcasts or blog posts, or info graphics that present information as a combination of data and visuals. Though these are generally not considered scholarly sources, such sources may be appropriate given your topic, your purpose, and your audience. When student writer Sophie Harba entered a debate about the rise of chronic diseases from harmful diets, she used a graph from the US Department of Agriculture to demonstrate the dangers of the typical American diet. (Her essay appears in MLA-5b.) The graph added needed evidence to help answer her research question: Should the government enact laws to regulate eating choices? The guidelines in the "Evaluating all sources" chart in R3-c will be helpful as you evaluate multimodal sources.