LibGuides: Environmental Science: How to Evaluate Resources

Subject-specific Tips

What are the parameters of your assignment or the type of paper you're writing?
- how many sources? peer-reviewed? books?
Do you need primary or secondary sources?
- Primary sources include articles written on original research and data.
- Secondary sources include analysis and review articles written on other people's research and data.


	What is the author's education? Are they an expert? Do they reference any research to support their points?
	Is the information current? When was it last updated?
	Does the content focus on facts — or opinion? Does the source use neutral instead of strong language?
	Was this information from a first-hand experience? Are there other sources to verify the information?
	Does it relate to your topic and answer your questions? Is it overly complex or not complex enough?