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Dr. Barr's Really Useful Stuff for Sociology (Dale Mabry): Evaluating the sources you find

A guide for students in Dr. Deborah Barr's Sociology classes.

Evaluate the sources you find!

Think carefully about the sources you are finding and using. Here are some tools that can help:

C for Currency

Currency - How recent is the information?

R for Reliability

Reliability - What kind of information is included in the resource? Is it balanced? Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?

A for Authority

Authority - Who is the creator or author? Who is the publisher or sponsor? What is the author's or publisher's interest (if any) in this information?

A for Accuracy

Accuracy - Is the content readable? Is the content truthful? Is the content correct?

P for Purpose/Point of View

  • Purpose/Point of View - Is this fact or opinion? Is the creator/author trying to sell you something; persuade you about something?