Step Three: Analyzing and Evaluating

Before you incorporate information from a book, article, website or other source in your research paper, consider the following:

Who is the author? What are his or her credentials? Is it possible to learn more about the individual?
Does the author refer to or provide a bibliography of other sources? A bibliography can indicate that the author is knowledgeable and has done some research.
Who is the publisher? Is it a recognized university press, a reputable commercial publisher or a vanity press?
What is the agenda, bias or point-of-view of the publisher, sponsoring organization or individual?
When was the information published? Consider whether you need current or historical information?
Where was the information published? Consider whether you require Canadian, US or international perspectives on your topic.
Does the publication's intended purpose support your research needs?
Can the information be verified?
Is the publication peer-reviewed (reviewed by experts in the field)?

For help with these questions, see Comparing Sources of Information

Is there a publisher or sponsoring organization for the website? Or, is this a personal web page?
Why was the site created?
Can you identify the place of origin or where the web site was created?
How current is the information on the website? Is there a "last updated" date or copyright date?

Look at the URL. Does it incorporate a person's name or is it an organization? Does it have a ~, which might indicate that it is a private page? What is the URL ending? Click here to see a list of URL endings and their meanings.
Look for a link that tells "About" the organization or authors.
Check the page header and footer.
Look for any "disclaimers" that may be linked from the page.

For more information on evaluating websites, please refer to: