Research Guides: Research (Finding Information): Evaluating Information

Anyone can publish on the internet; be selective.

Video: Evaluating Sources
Strategies for evaluating sources based on these criteria: authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, and objectivity.
Is it C.L.E.A.R.? A Guide to Source Evaluation
Use this acronym and tool to help you evaluate information you encounter. Created by SUNY Brockport.
Tutorial: Evaluating Information
Learn how to evaluate a range of resources in order to select the most authoritative sources on your research topic.
Tutorial: Understanding Misinformation
Learn to identify the characteristics and purpose of misinformation and understand its effect on your personal and academic life; also teaches news evaluation strategies.
Video: Evaluating Statistics
Statistics are widely used to support arguments and positions; think critically about how the statistics you encounter were created and used to convey information.
Video: Interpreting Images
Interpreting visual information is a critical skill; ask questions and consider context when interpreting visuals.
Using the RADAR Framework to Evaluate Sources
The RADAR Framework can help you remember what kinds of questions you should be asking about an information source as you evaluate it for quality and usefulness in your research.
eBook: Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers
Michael Caulfield describes lateral techniques for successful fact finders.

The domain name gives some indication of the source and intended audience of a web address.

.com - generally a commercial site
.edu - educational institutions
.gov - U.S. government
.org - organizations (some non-profit)
.int - international organizations
.mil - U.S. military organizations
.net - catch-all for sites not using .com, open to anyone (some administrative sites)
.biz - usually intended for businesses
.info - another catch-all, open to anyone

IANA Root Zone Database maintains details about top level domain names