Evaluating Information ResourcesOnce you've found a source, you have to determine if it will provide you with the type of information that is needed. You should also investigate the ABCs of that source: Authority, Bias, and Currency.
The ABC test is a quick way to help you determine whether or not a source is credible, or reliable. Of course there may be many more questions you could ask yourself about a source, but the ABC test gives you a great place to start.
Learn about lateral reading, fact-checking, and more on our Evaluating Information guide.
Use the ABC test to help you determine the credibility, or reliability of any source of information.
IMPORTANT!
Use the ABC test to help you determine the credibility, or reliability of any source of information.
Use the ABC test to help you determine the credibility, or reliability of any source of information.
CARDIO = Currency. Authority. Relevance. Documentation. Information Type. Objectivity.
This is another method that you can use to evaluate resources. It is more thorough than the ABC Test in that is asks you more questions in order to help you determine if a resource is right for your project.
Adapted from the C.A.R.D.I.O. Evaluation Handout by Hamlett and Lacey, Guttman Community College OER collection in CUNY Academic Works and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License.
It is especially important that you evaluate the quality of information provided by websites. Since any person or organization can create a website, you must take on the responsibility for determining the accuracy and relevance of the material on that site. Watch the tutorial for more information on how to evaluate information found on the web.
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