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Library in D2L: Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Sources

 

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Why Evaluate Sources?

It is always important to evaluate the information you find to be sure it is appropriate for your need.  In a college setting, this means evaluating whether or not a resource is appropriate for academic use.  

 

 

As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact a librarian for assistance!

Evaluate with the 5 Ws

 

Image: Vecteezy

 

Hagerstown Community College uses the 5 Ws to help you remember important questions you should ask yourself when reviewing any information source.  

  • Who: Who is the author and is there evidence of their expertise?
  • What:  What is the purpose of the source? What is the bias?
  • When: When was the source published?
  • Where: Where did the author get the information, and are the sources cited correctly?
  • Why: Why is this source better (or worse) than another for this particular information need?

 

 

 

Evaluating Resources Tutorial

The tips provided in this video tutorial use several different approaches and are designed to assist Internet researchers to determine whether the information encountered on websites in reliable.

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Special Hours & Closures
Campus Closed
November 24-28
Regular Hours

M-Th 8 am - 6 pm
Fri 8 am - 4:30 pm
CLOSED weekends

Library Information Desk

 LRC-200
 240-500-2237
 301-393-3681
 library@hagerstowncc.edu
 hagerstowncc.edu/library

For more information, see the library About Page.

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