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Religion & Religious Studies

Evaluating Sources - CASA Approach

Currency

  • Copyright date/last update date
  • Up-to-date terminology and facts

Note:  The currency standard will differ depending on the discipline.

Authority

  • Qualifications or credentials of the author, editor, contributors
  • Is the material primary or secondary?
  • Publisher’s quality/purpose? (Do they publish reputable material?) 
  • Are submissions peer reviewed?

Scope

  • What kind of information is the source intended to convey?
  • What topics are covered? For what period of time?
  • How detailed is the source? 
  • How complete is it?  Are there any noticeable omissions? 

Accuracy

  • What is the source’s purpose? (What is the author trying to accomplish through the work?)
  • Does the content seem credible? (well-written, well organized, logically presented)
  • To what extent does the argument rely on evidence and to what extent does it rely on opinion?
  • Is the evidence verifiable? (sources clearly attributed or original research methodology explained)
  • Is the information presented in an objective manner? (All sides of an issue presented; no logical fallacies)
  • Is the source internally consistent? 
  • How does source fit in with other sources in the field? (Does it reference other reputable/authoritative sources? Does it build upon the contributions of others/current knowledge? Is it compatible with known information or explain why it is not compatible?)

General assessment strategies:

Print Resources

Web Pages

Databases

Scan table of contents

Scan menus

Review help section

Scan title page

Scan root page

Read about/scope information

Scan index(es)

Scan site map

Review the list of publications/sources included

Read preface

Read introduction

Determine the vendor/source

Scan references/bibliography

Scan references/bibliography

 

Read author’s bio

Read author’s bio

 


Developed by Sara Lowe and Karen Wallace; informed by Libraries Linking Idaho course on evaluating reference sources
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