American National Government Research Guide

When evaluating information, ask yourself

...who is the author of the information?

...what is the content? 

...why is it being presented?

...when was it created? 

Who? Who is the author/organization? expert? credentials?

What? Is the information verified, supported by evidence, college-level?

Why? Purpose of the information: to inform? sell? entertain? persuade? biased? opinion?

When? Do you need current information for your topic?  Is the information up-to-date?

Another model of evaluating sources is called the CRAAP Test.* See how the information you found holds up to the five points of this test.

* modified from Evaluating Information -- Applying the CRAAP Test from California State University, Chico