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Find quality information

Find quality information for academic purposes, including databases, specific information formats, search engines, and research alerts.

How to evaluate information

You have found information on your topic and now you need to evaluate whether it is appropriate to use for your assignment or research.

Critically evaluating information resources is an essential skill for students undertaking academic research. This page provides some starting points for evaluating and assessing the information you have found. The techniques apply to both internet resources and more traditional formats such as journals, newspapers, magazines and books.

Watch the video or use the evaluation tables to check the reliability and usefulness of your resource.

Video on evaluating information sources

Check the information is reliable and useful

checklist icon Use this table to check if the information is suitable for your assignment or research.

Points to consider Least likely to be reliable May be reliable Most likely to be reliable
Where did you find the information? On the web e.g. via Google, social media Library Search Library Search or database with peer reviewed or scholarly filter
Who is the author? (individual, organisation, association) No author details are provided
  • The author’s qualifications, credentials or professional affiliations are given
  • Contact information is available
 My lecturer has recommended this author
Intended audience Biased towards particular groups General public Academics or scholars
Purpose
  • Designed to sell something
  • Presents one viewpoint
  • Written on behalf of a religious or political group
 Reports on research Presents research findings
Depth of coverage Superficial overview Evidence of analysis A systematic and rigorous discussion and analysis
Accuracy Spelling or grammatical errors; obvious omissions Facts and figures supported by evidence Peer reviewed or refereed
Writing style
  • Inflammatory or sensational
  • Low level or inappropriate for your discipline
 Organised logically and clearly presented
  • Organised logically and clearly presented
  • Language used may require some subject knowledge to understand
Relevance Too basic or too advanced  Relates to aspects of my topic e.g. location, group or focus
  • Focus on my topic is appropriate for my needs
  • Meets the marking criteria for my assessment
How up to date is it?1
  • No date information available
  • Published or updated more than 5 years ago
  • Newer editions or revisions exist
 Published or updated in the last 5 years
  • Published or updated recently
  • Published in the time frame my lecturer requires
Does it have a bibliography or reference list?
  • No reference list
  • References are out-of-date
  • References are not scholarly or reliable
 A reference list of recognisably reliable sources is provided e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics In-text references and reference list or bibliography of scholarly sources (journal articles, books, conference papers) is provided
Who published it? Unknown A reputable publisher An academic publisher which uses a peer review process (Check the publisher’s website)

1. Date of the information:

  • The importance of timeliness depends on your subject area e.g. Health or medicine requires current information; literature or art may not.
  • Historical research and the use of primary sources: In historical research, primary sources are essential as they provide first-hand evidence, records, or accounts created at or near the time of the events being studied. These sources offer direct insight into the past and form the foundation of rigorous historical analysis and differ from secondary sources, which provide up-to-date interpretations or summaries of past events. When analysing primary sources, it is also important to apply the other evaluation criteria outlined in the table, such as assessing reliability, perspective, and context.

Extra indicators to consider for websites

Points to consider Least likely to be reliable May be reliable Most likely to be reliable
What kind of website is it?
Look at the URL or address		 .com is a commercial site

.net is a private business or association

Check the About us information on the site

.edu or .ac is an educational institution

.gov is a government site

.org is an organisation (Not all .org sites are the official sites. Check the About us information on the site)
Is the website maintained?

Last updated date is old

Many broken links

Updated in the last 5 years

Most links work

Last updated information is recent

All the links work
Layout of the website Amateurish User-friendly User-friendly and professional
What country does the site originate from?2 Website originates from a country that will not be relevant for my topic. Country may have some relevance to my topic Based in a country that will be relevant to my topic

2. Depending on your topic this may affect the relevancy of the information. Check the URL or address for the country code, such as .fr for France, .au for Australia. Check this list of country codes.

Citing information

You must cite any information sources you use correctly to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Our Referencing style guides provides information on how to do this.