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2.5: Consult Source Evaluation Criteria

  • Page ID
    4931
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    When faced with assessing a large number of sources in a short period of time, the quickest way to cover the essential points is to remember an acronym. Multiple acronyms exist, and you should use the one your instructor designates. An example of a good acronym is CARBS:

    C currency. How current is the article and why does it matter/not matter?

    A authority. Who is the author (or authoring agency) and how is this author uniquely qualified to write on the topic?

    R relevancy. What information is unique to this article? How does it increase your credibility as a researcher?

    B bias. What is the purpose of the article (to inform, entertain, persuade)? Is the bias limited to inference or does it cross into judgment?

    S scholarly. How would you rate this article in terms of scholarly information (1-10, 10 being very scholarly)? Does it use facts? Does it cite sources? Or is it meant for general consumption/a more popular appeal?

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    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\) - Photo credit: clevercupcakes via Visual Hunt/CC BY


    2.5: Consult Source Evaluation Criteria is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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