A Research IDEA - Indianapolis

• Is there a date to help you determine when the information was published or posted?   0 1 2
• If the information is older, has it been revised or updated?   0 1 2
• Does it fit within the assignment parameters? (Does your instructor only want sources 2-years-old or newer?)   0 1 2
• Is the information current for your specific topic?   0 1 2
• Are the links functional?   0 1 2

R ELEVANCE: the importance of the information for your need.

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?   0 1 2
• Can you tell who the intended audience is?   0 1 2
• Is the information at an appropriate level for you (not written for elementary school students)?   0 1 2
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before choosing this one?   0 1 2
• Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?   0 1 2

A UTHORITY: the source of the information

• Is there an author/publisher/source/sponsor?   0 1 2
• Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?   0 1 2
• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?   0 1 2
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?   0 1 2
• Has the information been peer reviewed?   0 1 2
• Can you verify any of the information in another source?   0 1 2

P URPOSE: the reason the information exists​

• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?   0 1 2
• Is the information fact(2), opinion(1), or propaganda(0)?   0 1 2
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?   0 1 2
• Does the URL reveal anything about the purpose of the web page? 
               Domains: .com .edu .gov .org .net    0 1 2