Library Research Skills
Unit 4
Evaluating Information
Evaluate: to determine significance or worth by careful appraisal and study
Finding sources appropriate for academic research requires time and a critical eye. Learning to apply criteria by which you can evaluate both print and electronic information should make it easier for you to choose good sources.
The type of research will determine how closely you examine your sources. You would probably be less critical of information gathered for personal interest than for an essay. Academic research requires accurate and documented sources.
This unit will focus on locating, evaluating, and citing print and electronic sources.
After completing this unit, you should be able to:
- be able to describe criteria for evaluating different types of information resources
- understand the reasons for citing information by knowing the elements common to intellectual works and be able to cite a variety of different types of works
- understand conventions for naming and locating works in print or electronic format (i.e.: call numbers and URLs)
- understand the principles of intellectual property, copyright, and plagiarism and use information in an ethical manner
- recognize the different parts of a citation
- evaluate information for accuracy, authenticity and bias
- evaluate printed and web based information using selected criteria
- list ways to avoid plagiarism
- describe when to cite a source
Next Page - Evaluation Criteria
This Unit also has a section on Note Taking for students and Copyright.
