ENGLISH 84 Survey of American Literature: Evaluate

Authority & Credibility: The source of the information        

• Who is the author of this page?
• What are their credentials? Are they affiliated with an institution?
• What are the author's qualifications to write on this topic? 
• Does the site display this information? Contact information given? 
• What does the URL reveal about the page? 
  • .org  -- non-profit organization 
  • .edu -- educational institution 
  • .gov -- government organization 
  • .com -- commercial site 

Plagiarism is the copying or close imitation of information from a published source.

 Plagiarism is not allowed at Evergreen Valley College. If a student is caught plagiarizing, he or she could fail the class or even be expelled. To avoid plagiarism you must put quotation marks around information that is directly copied from a sorce and cite all thoughts, ideas, arguments, research, quotations and obscure facts taken from your sources using a recognized citation format like MLA.

 Try the CRAAP test (pdf)

 Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content       

• Is the information supported by evidence? Is the evidence cited?

• Objectivity: The reason the information exists      
• What is the purpose of this page? To inform? Persuade? Sell? Entertain? Rant? 
• Does the author state the goals for this site?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?

Currency: The timeliness of the information     

• When was this page created?  Is there a revision/creation date?