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LING 200

Course Guide for LING 200 Advanced English for Bilingual, ESL and International Students

Evaluation Heuristics

Evaluation criteria will always depend on the source type and your information need, however it can be helpful for beginning researchers to have a checklist to get started. 
There are several methods for evaluating content. Here are a few examples:

 

1. 4Ws

What?

What type of article is this? Who is the intended audience? Is the information based on fact or opinion? Was it written to inform or persuade?  Is there a bibliography?

Article type (circle one):

  • Research/Primary
  • Review/Meta-analysis
  • Magazine/Popular
  • Trade/Professional
  • News 
  • Editorial (written by editorial board) or Op-ed
  • Other: 

Comments:

 

When?

When was this written?  Some topics require current information, while other topics value both current and historical information.   

Year published:

 

Comments:

 

Who?

Who is the author(s)?  What type of experience or education do they have? What else have they written?

 

Who published this article?  (hint: look for a journal or publication title)

Author(s):

Affiliation:

Education:

Journal, magazine, or newspaper name:

Comments: 

 

Why?

Why did you choose this article? Does it help to refute or support an argument? Provide additional examples or data?

Ask yourself if you chose this article simply because it confirms your previously held beliefs.

Does the author make any claims that need to be further investigated? Do they list references that you can follow up on?

Comments:

2. CRAAP Test 

Currency When was it written? Has it been updated or revised?
Relevance Who is it written for? Is it clear and easy to understand?
Authority Who is the author(s)?  What is their education and experience? 
Accuracy Is there evidence to support the information?
Purpose Is the information based on fact or opinion?  Is there evidence of bias?