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Nursing Resource Guide: Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Sources

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!

a frowny face, a neutral expression, and a smiley face under a magnifying glass

Evaluate with the 5 Ws

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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