POLS 110: Evaluating and Citing Your Sources

Are your sources crappy or not? Evaluate your sources using this CRAAP test.

Currency

-- When was the information created?

-- Does your topic require updated information? 

Relevance

-- Does the information relate to your paper/project?

-- Is it written at an appropriate level? (not too advanced or elementary)

Authority

-- Is the author qualified to write on this subject?

-- Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?

Accuracy

-- Where does the information come from?

-- Is the information supported by legitimate sources?

Purpose

-- Why was the site created (advertising, share knowledge, entertainment)?

-- Do the authors make their intentions clear?

 

Citations can feel a bit tedious sometimes but it is important to cite the sources you use in your research. Not to worry, there are resources to help you... review the Citing Sources guide for help with citation basics and style guides.

There's also citation guides that you can check out from the library and there are also citation generators online to help.

• Citation Machine

  Can help with the correct formatting of citations in Chicago Style. Allows references to be copied and pasted into a Bibliography. Note: ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK THE CITATIONS it generates for you.

Note: ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK THE CITATIONS if you're using a citation generator.