Evaluating Sources
Use the 5Ws to determine if a source is scholarly or non-scholarly and appropriate for your research:
Who?
- Audience? Who will be reading this source?
- Author? Who wrote this source?
What?
- Sources cited in bibliography? Yes or No.
- Language? How easy or difficult will most people find this source?
Where?
- Publisher? Who published this source?
When?
- Publication date? When was this source published or last updated?
Why?
- Purpose? What is the purpose of this source?