Consider the following questions to determine if a source is the Best Source for your specific paper and topic.
1. What are the author(s) qualifications or
background for each source? Hint: If you can't find
it on the site you might need to google the author's name or the
organization.
2. Do the sources contain a bibliography,
footnotes, endnotes, or other citations? If Yes, approximately how many
different sources are cited?
What types of sources does this source cite? Are
those sources reliable?
3. Who is the intended audience for each source?
4. Skimming the source, do the sources present
primarily fact, an equal mix of facts and opinions, or mostly opinion
with a bit of fact?
5. Comparing the two sources, does one author have
better qualifications? Which one and why?
6. Do the authors agree with each other? On which
points?
7. Do the authors disagree wtih each other? On
which points?
8. Does the information presented substantially
add to your paper?
9. Does one source stand out as better fulfilling
the scholarly requirements or being more detailed and factually
accurate?
10. Which one source (if either) would you use in
your paper?
