Resources for Information Skills

Section contents page Introduction Finding the information you need Defining your information needs General criteria for evaluating information GEvaluating books Evaluating journal articles Evaluating journal articles: continued... Evaluating internet resources Summary
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Evaluating books

Apply the basic questions of who, when, why and what to quickly determine whether the book is worth further investigation. Once you have borrowed it, you can use the additional criteria to determine whether it is a reliable source of information.

Author(s)
  • What are their credentials and reputation?
  • Are they associated with any institution or organisation?
  • Have they been mentioned in your lectures?
  • Have you seen them quoted elsewhere?
Date of publication
  • Is the material up to date?
    When was it published or revised?
  • Is it recent enough for your assignment?
  • Do you need to use primary or historical sources?
Edition
  • Multiple editions indicate the item is well regarded enough to have been regularly updated. However, are you using the latest edition?
Publisher
  • Has it been published by a recognised academic publisher?
  • Who is the publisher and what are their credentials?
Level/Audience
  • Is the source too basic, too technical, too advanced, or just right for your needs?
  • Does the title help you decide? Is there a subtitle with more information? Does the back cover give any indication of content?
Content
  • Are there references to further information?
  • Are these respected sources?
  • Is the content based on research and not just opinion?
  • Does it contain a contents page and index so that you can find relevant information without reading the whole book?
Objectivity
  • Is there any kind of bias towards a particular commercial, political or personal viewpoint?
  • Is it American, or Australian, or British, when you need Bhutanese authored information?