Library FAQ

There is no easy way to know whether an information source is reliable, because some published sources like those you would find in books or journals are unreliable and some unpublished sources like those you would find on the web are reliable. However, you can look at multiple different factors and make a good judgment. Here is a tutorial on how to do that: http://subjectguides.esc.edu/evaluatingsources1. Honestly, that is a huge amount of material to absorb all at once, and if you are doing a project or assignment right now, you probably just want to get down to business. So as a quick start, here is a checklist: http://usm.maine.edu/library/checklist-evaluating-web-resources. 

You may also want to see whether any Evaluating Information Sources workshops/webinars are being held in the near future. You can find out and sign up for one here: http://subjectguides.esc.edu/workshops.