All information is not created equal. This is true whether the information is on the printed pages of a book or article, or on a web page. Any source you use for research is liable to have a particular point-of-view or bias. This may be part of the express purpose of the writer or it may be subtle and unstated--and even unrecognized by the writer.

Your job as a careful researcher is to determine where the author is "coming from" and how that effects the usefulness of the information for your particular purposes.

What follows below are not answers, but questions--questions that you should ask of each and every source you use, whether it's a book, an article, a website, a video, anything.

Who wrote it?

1. Can you tell wrote the item in question? This is particularly a problem with web pages, but sometimes periodical articles or even books are published anonymously.
2. Does the author have some stated expertise in the subject at hand? Is there some way to check on his or her credentials?
3. Is the author cited (mentioned) in other sources? In the case of scholarly articles, you may be able to find more articles by an author by searching one or more article databases. Librarians can help you choose which one(s) to search.
4. Can you find more information about the author? Here is a list of biographical databases where you may be able to find more information about an author.

Who published it?

1. Who published the source? Book publishers can range from "vanity presses" which will publish anything for a price to commercial and university presses with excellent reputations. Periodicals can range from supermarket tabloids to scholarly journals in which articles appear only after a lengthy review process by experts in the field. Websites can range from personal sites having little or no contact with facts to authoritative sites from professional organizations, government agencies, and the like.
2. Can you learn anything more about the publisher? Does it have a website where you can look to see what other kinds of things it has published?
3. Is there an e-mail address or phone number for contacting the publisher?

What is the content?

1. What kind of audience is the source aimed at? Is the audience explicitly stated anywhere?
2. Is the content presented as fact or opinion or a mixture?
3. Is the time-frame identified? If recent information is important to the subject, how recently has the site been updated?
4. Has the content been reviewed or edited by other people?
5. Can the information be checked and verified by other sources you are using?
6. Is the information appropriate to your needs?
7. Are there any factual or typographical errors?
8. Is there a bibliography to lead you to further sources?

These few questions are just the beginning to a critical approach to information sources. Here are a couple of additional websites you may wish to look at:

• Critically Analyzing Information Sources (Cornell University)
• Evaluate Web Resources (WebSerch)