Evaluating every source you find for your assignment ensures you use only accurate, current and relevant information in your work. This is especially crucial when using results from web searches, such as Google. Anyone can put up a website or web page.
Scholarly journal articles must go through a peer review process before being accepted for publication, so you would spend less time evaluating sources if you used only peer-reviewed resources.
After you've found books, articles, and websites, how do you know that they are valid and right for your topic? Check out the CRAAP Test video below from Western Libraries for an easy way to remember and use 5 evaluation criteria: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose. Then use the CRAAP worksheet to score each of your sources according to the criteria to help you decide whether the source is appropriate to use in your assignment.
Graphic - Humber College
Another great method for evaluating information (especially news and online media) is the SIFT method, developed by Mike Caulfield. This video from UNCP Library explains the four parts of this method.
Graphic - CC BY 4.0 by Mike Caulfield
Other good sites to learn how to evaluate websites and information are...
From Johns Hopkins University, this guide provides an in-depth examination of evaluation criteria for all types of sources from social media to scholarly articles. There is a special section on how to detect propaganda and misinformation.
Evaluating Sources for Credibility Video
For more tips on how to evaluate information sources, including the detection of bias, check out this video from North Carolina State University.