Evaluating Your Research Materials

Evaluating your research materials prior to using them as actual sources of information is a wise decision. Whendoing this, you should use the following three evaluation criteria, reliability, validity, and currency. To determine whether a source is reliable, you should consider the consistency and credibility of the information researched. For example, if the information you find on your topic varies from source to source then it is not consistant. If you are getting your information from a source who has no data or sources to back up their claim, then it is not considered credible. To determine validity you would want to look at the over all logic of the information being provided. This can be accomplished by taking into consideration the authors conclusions and any evidence to support their claims. Currency refers to how recent the information is you are using. When doing research it is important to look at the most recent information available. Even if you are researching a topic that is old, such as dinosaurs or ancient Egypt, you would want to look at the most recent findings to ensure you have the most up to date information on the subject.