FAQ: How do I evaluate a source to determine if it's appropriate to use for my assignment?

Evaluating Sources

As you begin your research you will probably find lots of information from many types of sources. When you are in college and in most professional settings after college, you will be expected to use high-quality sources of information for your work. As you gather information for your research projects, you'll find sources in many formats such as books, articles from databases, articles from websites, interviews, videos, social media posts, and more.

For in-depth help evaluating sources, visit our Evaluating Sources guide. However, in brief, one helpful method you can use to evaluate sources, the CCOW method, is laid out below. The CCOW method includes four key criteria you can use to evaluate sources for reliability:

Credentials

What are the author's credentials?

When considering an author's credentials, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is the author? Does the author have subject expertise, professional expertise, or lived experiences relating to this topic?
• Is the source sponsored or published by a reputable organization or institution?

Claims

What claims is the source making? Are those claims accurate?

When evaluating claims for accuracy, ask yourself the following questions:

• Has the source been edited or peer-reviewed?
• Has the author supplied a list of references for their work? Does the list of references include scholarly sources?
• Does the source include spelling or grammatical errors? Is the source logical, well-organized, and professional in appearance?

Objective

What is the objective or purpose of the source?

When considering the objective(s) of a source, ask yourself the following questions:

• What did the author(s) hope to accomplish by creating the information? Was this information meant to inform, persuade, entertain, or sell something? 

Worldview

Is there bias or a slant given to the information provided?

When considering the perspective or worldview of a source, ask yourself the following questions:

• What point of view does the author represent? Does the source contain mostly factual information or is it opinion-based?
• Is the source associated with an organization or institution that is known for promoting a certain point of view or opinion?

Note: It's okay to use information from sources that contain strong arguments or opinions, but it's always a good idea to acknowledge the author's worldview.

The CCOW information presented has been adapted from the original work by Anthony Tardiff from Foley Library at Gonzaga University. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

More Information

• Evaluating Sources Using SIFT
• Evaluating Sources Using C.R.A.A.P.O.
• Evaluating Websites