If you are doing historical research and want viewpoints written at the time, look for the appropriate dates. For much of your research, however, you want to choose more recent material. In any case, the date of publication of the material is an important consideration in selection.
Check to see if the book has a bibliography. Not only does this tell you that the book is probably more scholarly then a book without a bibliography, but you can check the author’s bibliography for further citations on your topic. The reputation of the publisher is also important in choosing the best books.
Though you may be unfamiliar with most of the commercial presses, you will probably be able to recognize major university presses such as Texas A&M University Press or Oxford University Press. The editors at these presses have checked and selected the material they publish so that you can be sure it is of good quality.
Finally, of course, examine the subject headings and title of the item listed in the catalog. They will tell you something about the scope of the book. Though they are usually very general, they can be useful in determining whether you should spend time searching for the item.
After you have found some information in a resource, you need to be able to evaluate the worth of what you have found. Below you will find an outline that cover the major points to consider when you are evaluating resources. Most of these points apply to electronic as well as paper resources. This outline was taken from the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science.
2. Auspices: What is the reputation of the publisher or the sponsoring agency?
3. Genealogy: Is the work new? If it is based on a previous publication, what is the extent of the revision?
2. Coverage: What is the range of subject matter and what are the limitations? How does this work relate to and compare with other works of similar scope?
3. Recency: How up to date is the material? Are all of the articles and bibliographies as recent as the last copyright date?
4. Bibliographies: To what extent do the bibliographies indicate scholarship and send the user on to additional information?
Treatment 1. Accuracy: How thorough, reliable, and complete are the facts?
2. Objectivity: Is there any bias in controversial issues? How balanced is the space given one subject as compared with others of equal importance?
3. Style: Is the level of writing for layperson or scholar, adult or child? How readable is the work?
2. Indexing: Is the main text arrangement adequately complemented by indexes and cross references?
Format
1. Physical makeup: Do binding, paper, type, and layout meet minimum specifications?
2. Illustrations: Are the illustrations of good quality; are they of real significance; and are they directly related to the text?
Special Features
1. Distinction: What features distinguish this work from all others?
There are a number of questions below based on the general evaluation points noted above. The greater number of questions listed below answered "yes" in examining a web page, the more likely the source is of high quality.
2. Is there information about the goals of the organization or person?
3. Can you verify the legitimacy of this organization or person? (Is there a phone number or postal address to contact for more information? Can you locate the organization or person through legitimate directories?) Because it is difficult to verify the legitimacy of a person, be careful about using individual home pages as sources of information.
4. Does the page have the official approval of the organization (if it is sponsored by an organization)?
5. Is the name of the copyright holder given?
6. Is it clear who wrote the material?
7. Are the author's qualifications for writing on this topic stated?
8. Is the information presented also found in a recognized paper publication?
2. Is there a date on the page to indicate when the page was last revised?
3. Is the material is kept current?
4. If there are graphs and/or charts, is it clearly stated when the data was gathered?
5. Is it clear what topics the page intends to address?
6. Is the purpose of the web page fulfilled, i.e., are the stated topics addressed?
7. Is the point of view of author presented in a clear manner with arguments well supported?
2. Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and other typographical errors? (This not only indicates poor quality control, but can also produce informational inaccuracies.)
3. If statistical data is presented in graphs and/or charts, are they clearly labeled and easy to read?
4. Are the organization's or person’s biases clearly stated?
5. Is the information free of advertising?
6. If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?
7. Is opinion clearly differentiated from fact?
8. Is the language and treatment suitable for scholarly work?
9. Are the links reliable?
2. Is there a searchable index for the page’s content?
3. Is the information arranged in a logical manner?
2. Do the graphics & other features serve a function? (Large, purely decorative graphics can detract from the information function of the site.)
Evaluating information and information resources is not easy. Use these checklists and use your own common sense. Publishing and distributing information in paper format is an expensive proposition so paper documents are more often (but definitely not always) subject to more editorial scrutiny than web pages. On the Web, it is difficult to be sure whether the information is being presented by a Nobel Laureate or a twelve-year-old impersonating a Nobel Laureate.
Use your critical thinking skills when evaluating all types of resources including paper ones, but be particularly discriminating when accepting information from the Internet. Don’t accept everything at face value, in paper or electronically.