ESL 151 - READING AND COMPOSITION V - McGrath

Evaluating sources, that is making sure they are relevant, credible, and factual, can be pretty difficult. There is no one way to evaluate a source BUT people have developed strategies that you can apply to help you. Today, we will practice using the PICK method.

What Makes an Information Source "Good?"

“Good” sources include those that provide complete, current, factual information, and/or credible arguments based on the information creator’s original research, expertise, and/or use of other reliable sources.

Whether a source is a good choice for you depends on your information needs and how you plan to use the source.

Evaluating Sources Using Vertical Reading

Vertical Reading (PICK): examining the source itself to decide whether it is the best choice for your needs.

PICK

Purpose / Genre / Type Determine the type of source (book, article, website, social media post, etc.) Why and how it was created? How it was reviewed before publication? Determine the genre of the source (factual reporting, opinion, ad, satire, etc.) Consider whether the type and genre are appropriate for your information needs Information Relevance / Usefulness Consider how well the content of the source addresses your specific information needs Is it directly related to your topic? How does it help you explore a research interest or develop an argument? Creation Date Determine when the source was first published or posted Is the information in the source (including cited references) up-to-date? Consider whether newer sources are available that would add important information Knowledge-Building Consider how this source relates to the body of knowledge on the topic Does it echo other experts’ contributions? Does it challenge them in important ways? Does this source contribute something new to the conversation? Consider what voices or perspectives are missing or excluded from the conversation Does this source represent an important missing voice or perspective on the topic? Are other sources available that better include those voices or perspectives? How does this source help you to build and share your own knowledge?

 SIFT & PICK by Ellen Carey is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Last updated 4/11/23.