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Psychology - Indianapolis

Resources for Writing Papers

Evaluating Documents

Use the following questions to help you evaluate documents:

  • What type of document is it? Is it a research paper, or a blog post?
  • When was the document written?  Is the information old?
  • What is the author's name and credentials?  Do they have the knowledge to know what they are talking about?
  • What is the document's tone?  Are there any words that lead you to believe that the author is biased?
  • What is the reason the document was created? Did the author want to inform or persuade others? 
  • Who is the intended/likely audience? Is it for the general public or experts in the field?