# Welcome to SMIRK Unit
4 - Assessing
information

- General pointers
- Relevance
- Reliability
- Reputation of the author
- Has anything been left out?
- Currency
- Accuracy
- Back to main index

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# General pointers

Evaluating the information you find is a very important part of your assignments. You should evaluate all the information you find whether you have found it using an Internet search, in a book or a journal article, or given to you by your tutor. You have to decide if the information meets your needs and is of sound quality. This section will help you learn about assessing your information for:

- Relevance
- Reliability and validity
- Bias or viewpoint
- Coverage and scope
- Currency
- Accuracy

When you are working on a piece of coursework you will want to spend less time on the finding and more time on the using of information. By selecting the appropriate search tools at the start you can usually pinpoint the most relevant information for your needs.

Therefore as you are in an academic environment, you should try to use academic quality resources first. For a reminder on types of information, go to Unit 3 - Finding Information.

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# Relevance

Information such as an article or website is relevant if it is useful for your assignment. You can judge if a reference is relevant by checking:

- the number of times your keywords appear in the abstract or article
- the language used - this can indicate the intended audience for the article, for example, is it aimed at members of the public, students or academic researchers?
- whether the information is comprehensive
- whether the reference complements or contradicts your own knowledge or information you may have found elsewhere.

If the information you have found does not meet your needs, you will need to refine your search.

#### Activity
Visit some websites. Consider:

1. Who is the intended audience
2. How much information is provided
3. Is the language natural or emotive?

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# Reliability

#### Scholarly and refereed sources : editorial control

The authority and credibility of the information is related to the identity of the author(s) and the publication. The quality of information may vary according to the reliability of its source.

Information sources considered ‘reliable' are generally those produced under some form of editorial control. The peer-reviewed journals published by large academic publishers contain information which is reviewed and accepted by subject experts prior to publication. Although publication by a reputable publisher does not guarantee quality, it does mean that the publisher has high regard for the work. Articles can be published in a variety of serials, such as refereed journals,scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines or newspapers. Refereed and scholarly periodicals have the most academic credibility.

If you look closely at your source, for example the inside cover of a paper journal (or the 'about' page of the electronic version), you should find information about its editorial control and reviewing process.
Professional associations and established organisations also produce authoritative information, and publish it in web pages or printed reports.

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# Reputation of the author

Some information sources clearly indicate who is responsible for the work. This may be an individual author, a corporate author, or a sponsoring agency such as an association or organization. Others give no indication of authorship or responsibility. Without the basic knowledge of the author of a work, it is impossible to determine its authority.
To establish the author's reputation carry out the following checks:

1. look for the author's biography on the back or inside of the cover (if available) or in the preface.
2. some web pages clearly show who compiled or produced the information, usually in a link to About us, or About this site.
3. run a search on the author in a database such as Web of Science.
4. if the author is an organisation, run a search in a directory of quality internet sources, check the gateways section on your library subject guides to find the best in your subject.

If you can't find out who the author is, or their level of expertise - do you really want to use the resource?.

#### Bias

"bias noun [mass noun] inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair: there was evidence of bias against black applicants | the bias towards younger people in recruitment. • a concentration on or ....” The Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd edition revised) [accessed 21/10/10]

In other words when considering if there is bias, look for the following:

- the purpose of the information
- the coverage of the information
- the language used

#### What is the purpose of the information?

Bear in mind that all information has a purpose. Whether that is to persuade, inform or entice. Some information is published by authors or organisations to put forward a particular point of view. Be aware that this viewpoint may influence the content of the material. Publications from these organisations tend to reflect the views of their members and are less likely to be objective.

####

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# Has anything been
left out?

Some publications fail to present all facts or cover all perspectives. Even if a publication is a scholarly source it might be biased. Consider the following topics. Is it safe to rely on just one published source?

- the Euro and Britain
- testing athletes for “over the counter” medicines
- the assassination of Kennedy
- Enron Corporation
- mobile phone masts and health risks

It is rare to find all academics in complete agreement on a topic. More often academics will hold differing views and will attempt to support their hypotheses with research evidence. By demonstrating a depth of research in your work, you show consideration for all aspects of a topic.
If there is contradictory or conflicting information that you have failed to consider, your conclusions may be questioned. You need to demonstrate that you are aware of alternative views and explain why you disagree.

#### What kind of language is used?

Some sources are written in an objective style using specific and unemotional language. Most academic sources use this style. Use of emotionally charged language or language that is vague and general may be a clue that the information is biased or misrepresents the facts. The style of writing and language used is usually indicative of the purpose of the information.

####
Activity:

Visit a web page, then evaluate it by considering:

1. Who wrote this information?
2. What the purpose of this information?
3. Does the information present all sides of the argument?
4. What style of language is used?

####

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# Currency

#### Consider your needs

Depending on the topic you are researching, it may be necessary for you to choose a date span for the information you need. For example, if you need information on purchasing trends you will need to look at 5 or 10 years worth of data. Whereas if you need ideas on predicting future technological developments you will need to limit your search to the very latest information. In other words, some information remains valid over time, while other information may become discredited or obsolete.
Tip: Currency of information is more important in fields which are rapidly and continuously developing such as information technology. However, uniqueness of a topic or in-depth analysis is sometimes more important than being on the cutting edge!

####
Publication date

It is important that you can find out when the information was produced or published. When looking at websites it is not always possible to determine how up-to-date the information is because the webmaster has not included a date on the page. Where this is the case, think critically about what you read and judge if it makes sense to you. Then try to find another site that can confirm this information.
Tip: Where a site gives a date – check if it's an update date or a create date. Decide if the date given is suitable for your needs.

####

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# Accuracy

We think this means that the facts can be supported by evidence and/or corroborated (which means verified by another source).
You can determine whether information is accurate by establishing how it was compiled.
You could use the following checklist:

1. does it present research findings and is the research methodology explained?
2. where there are calculations, are they free from errors?
3. has the information been edited and checked for spelling or grammatical errors?
4. is it logically structured? Or does it look like it's been put together in haste?
5. does it cite the work of others to support or refute their arguments? If so, are the references sufficiently detailed to allow follow-up?

Poor quality information will gloss over these things or will not provide sufficient links for you to investigate further.

These are some of the main general points to consider when assessing information. The other units in this section go into the issues in more depth.

####

######
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/