It is very important that you evaluate your sources so you do not rely on poor information in your research. Learn to be critical of all information you come across.
Ask QUESTIONS!
*Who wrote it? *What gives them the right to write about it? *Who published it? *Why do they want to convince you of their argument? *Do they talk about their methods and data and research? *Can you find the background resources they used? *Do they talk about other, seminal research? *Is it current? *Does it need to be current?
Stakeholders are the people who stand to lose or gain in an issue.
For example, if you are writing about thyroid cancer, stakeholders would be victims, pharmaceutical companies, health insurance companies, the government etc..
If you are aware of the stakeholders involved in your research, you are also aware of their perspective or bias when evaluating the information they produce.
There is no doubt that the internet is part of the current research puzzle but it is the piece that you must be the most critical of.
Despite the fact that we know anyone can create a website, many students mistakenly turn to Google and use the first information they find.
There is a wealth of useful information on the internet but there are tricks to finding it.
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Currency The timeliness of the information |
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Relevance The importance of the information for your needs |
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Authority The credibility of the source of the information |
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Accuracy The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the information |
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Purpose The reason the information exists |
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From Merium Library, California State U PDF
