- St. Olaf Libraries
- Research Guides
- Music 295: String Literature and Pedagogy
- Evaluating Source Credibility
Music 295: String Literature and Pedagogy
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Research and Instruction Librarian for Music & Fine Arts
Is My Source Credible? - An Infographic
Is My Source Credible? - PDF
Is My Source Credible? - Alt Text
EVALUATING CREDIBILITY
Can I use this in my research?
How do you know if you can use something as a source? See below, and check for each of these points.
AUTHOR
Who wrote the text?
Can you easily find the author, or is this information unclear and/or missing? What are the author's credentials?
DATE
When was this written or last updated?
Does the information seem current?
ACCURACY
Are there spelling or grammar errors?
Does the author cite their sources?
Can you verify that the information is true?
PUBLISHER INFO
Who is the publisher?
Could this company have an influence on the information presented?
ANY BIAS?
Is the source objective, or biased?
How much bias is there? Are they trying to sell you something, or advance an agenda?
AUDIENCE
Who is the author writing for: students, researchers, consumers, or a different group?
CONCLUSION
If you notice a lot of bias, missing or inaccurate information, and/or the source lacks credibility, don't use it for your research.