Evaluating Sources

Welcome! This module is focused on evaluating the sources that you find, so you can decide if they are appropriate to use in your assignments.

Over the course of this module you will encounter:

A vocabulary word list
Infographics
Videos
Module end quiz

This module includes two worksheets: Activity Questions and Vocabulary Words. Filling out the associated worksheets will help you to keep track of what you have learned and apply your knowledge to the final quiz. To receive a certificate of completion for this module, you are required to view all pages in this module and receive a 90% or above in the final module quiz.

This module should take you between 40-60 minutes to complete.

Territorial Acknowledgement

The content creation team for this module would like to acknowledge and give thanks to the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people, whose traditional, unceded, and ancestral land UBC occupies.

You can find out more details about the land UBC occupies through the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and UBC research guide.

We also know that you may be completing this module from a number of places and may want to know more about the lands you are on. You can find out more about land acknowledgments and help you to identify a traditional territory at Native Land .

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

- Describe why evaluating sources is an important part of the research process;
- Refer to and apply the RADAR acronym to evaluate sources based on rationale, authority, date, accuracy, and relevance;
- Describe and apply the pros and cons of using Google to find sources;
- Describe and apply the appropriate uses of Wikipedia;
- Critically assess the truthfulness of news sources;
- Apply filters in library tools to limit results to appropriate sources.

Evaluating Sources Worksheet

Below is a worksheet for you to use with the activities you will find as you move through the module. A final quiz at the end is required in order to complete the module.

Evaluating Sources Worksheet

Evaluating Sources Vocabulary

Below are some vocabulary words you will come across in this module.

It may help you to fill in definitions for these terms as you go. If you want a document to do this in, please use the template:

Evaluating Sources Vocabulary Template

Vocabulary list

Rationale
Authority
Date/Currency
Seminal Works
Accuracy
Bias
Relevance

Use the link at the bottom of each page to let us know if you have ideas, comments, or suggestions for edits and improvements to the modules.

Have an idea on how to improve this content, or see a mistake? Let us know.