QLC120: Making of a Culture Icon

You should evaluate information throughout the research process to ensure that the information you rely on to support your argument presents the clearest picture of a topic as possible. To learn about evaluating information throughout research process, check out our Evaluating Information guide.

Reference sources (the types of sources you typically use for background research) require slightly different methods for evaluating information.

In general, reference sources are just a starting point, so you don't need to worry as much about fact-checking every piece of information you find in a dictionary or encyclopedia. Your main goal in using reference sources is to help figure out where to go next, so focus more of your evaluation efforts on assessing the sources you consult once you have more background information.

However, there are still some things to consider when consulting any source:

Purpose

Your goal for doing background research is to get facts and learn where to go next. Good reference sources will provide you with straightforward information and pathways to continue learning about your topic and related ideas. Some sources for doing background research may attempt to entertain or advocate on an issue, but any purpose besides providing accurate information should be secondary.

Bias

Every source is biased in some way. Choosing to provide information about a topic is a form of bias because the author has decided that the topic is worth providing information about. However, we should always seek to minimize bias in our research and in our own work.

When evaluating reference sources, look out for:

• Judgmental language
  • Including unnecessary adjectives to influence perception
  • Intentionally using words with certain connotations, like "terrorist" vs "freedom fighter"
• Cherry-picked evidence (only including evidence that supports one conclusion when there is also evidence supporting other conclusions)
• What perspectives are represented
  • Does the article only quote people in positions of power or people representing one position on an issue?
• Conflicts of interest
  • Reference sources are typically created by 3rd parties, but sometimes the sources of information used to write reference articles come from entities with a conflict of interest.
  • Look at the list of references for Wikipedia articles or other reference sources and consider whether the references come from entities who may have a biased perspective.
• Context
  • Even accurate information can indicate bias if it's taken out of context.
  • Consider how the context information is presented in affects our interpretation of it.

Accuracy

Accuracy of information can be difficult to judge if you are new to a topic. However, consider whether the source aligns with background knowledge you already have about the topic. If it doesn't, this could be a sign that the source is inaccurate, or you may need to search elsewhere to determine whether your previous understanding was wrong.

Logical Fallacies

Logical fallacies are abuses of logic that lead to unwarranted or inaccurate conclusions. Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides a great overview of different types of logical fallacies.

Currency

For background research, it's best to have the most updated information on a topic because this information tends to be more accurate and it will also give you the most useful options to explore further.

Relevance

As you do background research, pause regularly to consider whether the information you're exploring is relevant to your research. It's totally fine (and encouraged) to let the information you find lead you to other ideas you hadn't considered before, but it will help you work more effectively and efficiently to keep your overall goals in mind throughout the process.

Most Wikipedia articles can be edited by anyone, which means there's an inherent risk that that information might be inaccurate or biased. However, the crowd-sourced nature of Wikipedia means that errors are typically corrected relatively quickly. That said, here are some general tips for evaluating the credibility of Wikipedia articles:

Look for alerts

• Wikipedia has policies that flag articles that appear to be biased or inaccurate, or that fail to follow other guidelines.
• These alerts appear at the top of the page or specific sections, and they can help you decide how to evaluate the information in the article.

Look for citations (references)

• Wikipedia policies require citations for quotes, information that is challenged or likely to be challenged, and content pulled from other sources.
• An article with more citations from more reputable sources tends to be more credible than articles with fewer citations.
• These citations can also be very helpful for finding more information about a topic.

Check out the Talk Pages

• Each article on Wikipedia has a Talk Page that documents how an article's contributors and editors made decisions about what content to include or delete.
• These pages illustrate the process of building consensus on what is considered true (or at least verifiable) for WIkipedia articles.

Find other coverage about the topic

• While Wikipedia articles are typically pretty accurate, they are not the final authority on any topic.
• Especially for controversial topics, check out additional sources like other encyclopedias and newspapers to get a fuller picture of the topic.