ENG 1110 - First Year Composition: Evaluate Sources

CREDIBILITY, AUTHORITY, RELIABILITY, and VALIDITY

• Who is responsible for the intellectual content within the resource?
• Does the author provide contact information?
• What are the author's credentials?
• Where does the author work?
• Where is the source published?
• Is the publisher well known?
• For web sites, who is sponsoring the web site?
• For web sites, what is the domain (.com, .gov, .edu, etc.)?

RADCAB is a mnemonic acronym for evaluating information created by Karen M. Christensson (http://www.radcab.com/​)

R = Relevancy
A = Appropriateness
D = Detail
C = Currency
A = Accuracy
B = Bias

Is the information too vague or too specific?

• What are the author's research methods?
• Does the author provide supportive evidence?
• Have other scholars cited this author?
• Is the information accurate, credible?
• Are the spelling and grammar correct?

• What are the goals and objectives of the author?
• What is the purpose of the source? (To inform? To explain? To persuade? To advertise? Something else?)
• Is the information within the source biased?
• Why was the source created?
• Who was the source created for? (ex. general population, other scholars, etc.)
• For web sites, are there advertisements?

• How old is the information within the source?
• When was the document produced?
• When was the last time the source was updated?
• For web sites, are the links alive or dead?

What are the sources of information THEY used?

• Theory
• Primary or evidence-based research
• Opinion
• Editorial comments
• Advice
• Best practices

Fake news and false information is widely spread on the Internet. How can you tell if what you are reading is real? Here are some sources to help: