Don't Judge a Book by its Cover!

We were asked in class to write down a list of questions we usually ask ourselves when judging the content of any source (i.e. website, book, blog).
Thinking about my third-year thesis and all the academic papers I prepared during my university path, it came up that I focused especially on authors’ credentials and content reliability:

- who’s the author? Is s/he well-known? Is s/he considered authoritative in his/her field of study?
- Is it the content reliable? Does any other website/book/blog report the same information about this topic (CROSS-REFERENCING)?

I think I use these questions especially when taking information from the Internet, rather than from a book: I’m used to thinking that if something has been published it should be authoritative.

However, I discovered in class that my questions are only a little part of the numerous ones I have to ask myself when using any kind of source. I just want to point out here some of the criteria that I never thought about ‘till now:

- when was the information provided? (i.e. think about stats and surveys; it is important to know if the data are still valid at the time you’re using them);
- why was the information provided? (i.e. think about the intended audience, purposes, perspectives).

I found that the tips on sources’ evaluation from San Diego University are very useful. The website gives a clear and detailed list of questions. It takes time to analyse a source through all those criteria, but in the end it is worth it, you will feel more secure and confident on what you write using that analysed source…And if there would be any mistake you can blame the source, not you!!! :)

Talk to you soon!
Giorgia