Thinking Critically About Information Sources
The ability to critically analyze sources is a required skill for both your academic research and individual decision-making. By developing this skill, you'll be able to evaluate any source or website quickly and critically. There are several tools you can use to accomplish this analysis, and the best strategies to use will change based on the information source.
Sources that use biased or inflammatory language, present assertions without external verification, have inactive or self-referencing links, or omit author identification should be closely avoided, especially if the corporate author is ambiguous or unreliable.
This guide provides tools to evaluate different types of sources, from academic journal articles to social media posts. Thinking critically about all the information we encounter is mandatory in today's information-rich society. It helps us make better decisions, to form a more well-rounded view, and to steer clear of misleading, overly biased, and one-sided information.
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)