❖ When was the source written and published?
❖ Why is publication date relevant to your topic?
❖ Why is publication date important; was the material written at a particularly pivotal moment in the field?
Relevance
❖ Does the article contain information you need at this moment?
❖ Is the material from the right category?
(for instance, you are looking for dissertations and the source is written as a blogpost.)
❖ What is the connection between the source and my topic?
Authority
❖ Who is the author?
❖ Is the author an expert in this area?
❖ What are her credentials?
❖ Why is this author qualified to write on this topic?
Accuracy
❖ Are the facts stated in the source correct?
❖ Is the evidence backed up by documentation?
❖ Does the author cite her sources?
❖ Did these sources go through a review process?
Purpose
❖ Why was the paper published?
❖ Could the author or institution have a motive or bias in publishing the information?
