- St. Olaf Libraries
- Research Guides
- Music 230: African American Song Literature
- Is my source credible?
Music 230: African American Song Literature
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Research and Instruction Librarian for Music & Fine Arts
Evaluating Non-scholarly Sources
Often when you are working in emerging fields of research and performance, the established peer-reviewed sources won't have all the details you need. You may find interesting and potentially useful material online, but since that material hasn't been peer reviewed, you should take a moment to review it yourself. Here are some questions to ask yourself when evaluating a non-scholarly resource!
Is My Source Credible? - An Infographic
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.