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When choosing your resources, the most difficult task is determining their quality and reliability. This is particularly problematic when a source is found through
the Internet. Some factors to think about when assessing the quality and reliability of a publication are:
Author
- Is the author a well-known and well-regarded authority? How reputable is the publisher or Internet host site? Does the author list her/his credentials (e.g., education, occupation, etc.) for being an authority? September 12, 2007rif">Does the author's e-mail address appear so you can contact her/him for further information?
- Does the author note her/his institutional affiliation (university, government, organization, etc.)?
Purpose
- Is the purpose (to inform, persuade, entertain, etc.) apparent? Is the material scholarly?
- If the material is available in both print and Web format, does coverage differ between versions?
- Is supporting material (bibliographies, indexes, charts, maps, etc.) included and correctly attributed?
- How comprehensive is the coverage of the material?
Content
- How reliable and free from error (typographically, factually, and conceptually) is the information? Does the material include a bibliography? Is the material presented as fact or opinion? To what extent is the information trying to sway the opinion of the audience? When was the material published? Does the material present the latest thinking on the topic? For Web resources: Is the last update prominently noted?
- For Web resources: Are links to relevant information provided and do the links work?
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