Evaluating Information in the Research Process: Welcome!

Welcome! Evaluating Online Information in the Research Process is intended to help you: 

• use criteria to evaluate online information in light of your own goals and purposes

• follow a sequence of steps to carry out a research project that includes online resources.

The information presented here is designed to help you with academic, personal, or job-related research projects.

How To Use This Guide

This instructional guide is organized around three topics: 

1. Evaluation Criteria are important basic criteria that apply to any kind of information. Click on the "Evaluation Criteria" tab above whenever you want guidance for evaluating information.

2. Research Steps are pages intended to help you use online information effectively throughout the research process. Read the "Steps" page that corresponds to where you currently are in your research, or skim the Steps for an overview.  Feel free to print parts of this guide that you wish to carefully review. 

3. Issues and Tips includes short discussions of barriers, skills, or other topics. Issue discussions are intended to help you work effectively and enjoy what you are doing. Steps pages link to Issues discussions where appropriate. 

This guide includes additional references to online and print materials so you can explore topics in greater depth. You can access the reference list from any page by clicking on the "References" tab. 

Several exercises are included to help you integrate the information provided here with your knowledge and experience. 

"Nothing will contribute to the quality of your work more than your sense of its worth and your commitment to it." (Booth, Colomb, and Williams, 1995, p.36).