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MS Research Portal: Analyze

Analyze

How To Evaluate Sources - RADCAB

Examine resources for:

  • Relevancy : is the information relevant to the search?

  • Appropriateness : is the information written for the right age level?

  • Detail : How much information is needed? Is there enough detailed information for what is needed to answer the questions?

  • Currency : When was the information written/provided? Is the information current and up to date?

  • Authority : Who is the author? Who provided this information? 

  • Bias : Is the information trying to bias the reader to a point of view? 

RADCAB

Ref: Christensson, Karen M. "RADCAB - Steps for Online Information Evaluation." RADCAB - Steps for Online Information Evaluation. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

What About Wikipedia?

  • Wikipedia is a tremendous resource for simple, easy to read information.
  • Over the years, Wikipedia has done an amazing job of improving their reliability and security.
  • Still, there is much debate in the academic world if Wikipedia is a solid source for academic papers.
  • At JIS we encourage students to use Wikipedia for personal research, but to go beyond when writing assessments.
  • Wikipedia can be solid starting point for key words, and the sources listed and linked in their "References" or "Citations" sections can be great resources.

How to Evaluate Sources - CRAAP test