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Immigration - CIL Guide

Evaluating sources

Evaluating sources

Dalek shouting, "Evaluate, Evaluate!"During the research process, you will need to evaluate the quality, reliability, and authority of each individual source you review so you can determine the extent to which the author’s perspective may play a role in the presentation of that information.

Questions to consider when evaluating a source:

Q: Who is the author (or creator) of this source? What other works has this person/creator produced? What can you find out about this person(s)/organization? (Keep in mind that an author's/creator's expertise on a given subject may be derived from education, position in society, experience, or other factors.)

Q: For what purpose was this information created and who is the intended audience?

Q: What methods were used to produce the information in this source and when was it produced?

Q: Does this author/source seem to be “in conversation” with other works? In what way might other conversations impact the information in this source?

Q: What perspectives or which voices might be missing from this source? Why might these have been excluded?

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