Question
Q: How do I evaluate media sources?
Answer
Evaluating the sources of your information is a part of media literacy. You should apply evaluative criteria to all the sources you use in your research.
Questions to ask when evaluating media sources:
- Who is sending this message and why?
- What techniques are used to attract and hold attention?
- What points of view are represented?
- How might the message be interpreted in different ways?
- What is omitted from the message?
Questions to ask when evaluating information from Web pages and other media sources:
- What is the domain of the page?
- Who is publishing or sponsoring the page? Is contact information for the author/publisher provided?
- Strip back the URL to discover the source of the page.
- How recently was the page updated?
- Be particularly wary of bias when viewing web pages. Anyone can create a web page about any topic. YOU must verify the validity of the information.
When you have finished answering these questions, you will have a good idea of whether the website/media source is reliable. There is no single system of evaluation of media sources. See the Library 101 Research Guide page "Evaluate Your Sources" for more information.
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Sturgis Library at Kennesaw: Ground Floor, Room G-16, 470-578-6325
Johnson Library at Marietta: First Floor, Room C-125, 470-578-7471
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Last Updated
Sep 30, 2019Was this helpful? 2 5
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