UndergradSkiller: Skill Set Map for Undergraduates and Their Educators
INFORMATION LITERACY AND DIGITAL SAFETY
Source Evaluation
Definition:
Not all information is equally reliable. Evaluating sources for credibility, relevance, accuracy, and bias is a core academic skill, whether the source is a scholarly article, a website, or a social media post.
Useful Resources on Source Evaluation:
Purdue OWL. (n.d.). Evaluating sources: Introduction. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/evaluating_sources_
of_information/index.html
Annotation: Covers how to evaluate sources of information for credibility and usefulness. Includes guidance on where to begin, general evaluation guidelines, evaluating bibliographic citations, evaluating digital sources, evaluation during reading, and comparing print versus internet sources.
Horkoff, T. (2021). Writing for success (H5P ed.). BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccessh5p/chapter/strategies-for-gathering-reliable-information/
Annotation: Chapter from the Writing for Success textbook covering strategies for distinguishing between primary and secondary sources, evaluating the reliability of information, and gathering credible sources for academic writing.
Peer Review: None
Table of contents:
- 2.2. Using Library Resources
- 2.2.1. Finding and Accessing Resources
2.2.2. Research Guides and Tutorials
2.3. Source Evaluation
- 2.4. News and Media Literacy
- 2.4.1. Media Literacy
2.4.2. Misinformation and Fact-Checking
- 2.5. Artificial Intelligence
- 2.5.1. Understanding AI
2.5.2. Evaluating AI
2.5.3. AI Terminology
2.5.4. AI Ethics
- 2.6. Online Safety
- 2.6.1. Avoiding Scams and Fraud
- 2.6.2. Data Privacy and Protection
- 2.6.2.1. Understanding Data Privacy
2.6.2.2. General Data Protection Regulation
- 2.6.3. Information Security
- 2.6.4. Digital Safety
- 2.6.4.1. Understanding Online Harms
2.6.4.2. Protecting Yourself Online
- 2.6.5. Cyberbullying
- 2.6.6. Ethical Social Media
- 2.7. Copyright
Author: Leeanne Irwin
Peer Reviewer(s): None