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APSC 201 / ELEC 281 / CPEN 281 - Technical Communication

Guide to assist students with research for their technical reports.

Evaluating Information

No matter where you get your information, you need to make sure you critically evaluate each source to ensure it’s appropriate for your research! Many publications have a particular bias or agenda, which may not be obvious at first glance.

Here are a few criteria that could help you in your evaluation:

Authority

  • What are the author's credentials and affiliation?
  • Who publishes the information?

Accuracy

  • Based on what you already know about the topic or from reading other sources, does the information seem credible?
  • Does the author cite other sources in a reference list or bibliography, to support the information presented?

Scope

  • Is the source at an appropriate comprehension or research level?

There are other criteria to consider as well, such as currency, objectivity, and purpose. For more information, see UBC Library’s Evaluating Information Sources.

Evaluate using the SIFT method

infographic of SIFT

 

"SIFT (The Four Moves)" by Mike Caulfield, re-used and adapted under CC BY 4.0

 There are four moves to help you evaluate information you find on a website. Using the Library search, Summon, helps find research articles, books and more to help verify information.

 

 

  1. Stop. Do you know the website or where the information is coming from? Can you verify the claims in the website? Before you click "share" make sure you have verified the information.
  2. Investigate the Source. Who is providing the information? What is their level of expertise? Do they have an agenda that might influence what is said and how the information is presented? Using the Library search, Summon, can help verify the information and provide multiple reliable sources.
  3. Find Better Coverage. Look into multiple sources that can help verify the claim. What are the experts saying about the topic? Where else has the story been covered?
  4. Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context. Trace the claim you find on social media, or a news clip, or a website you land on back to the source to get the context for the claim. 

 

Citing Sources