Performance Studies

Evaluating information

Once you have located a piece of information, whether it be in a database or on the World Wide Web you will need to evaluate it to see if it is relevant to your needs.

The following is a list of points that you can use to check the validity of a piece of information

Who is/are the author(s)?
- Are they well know to you. If not you may have to find out a bit more about them.

Where or in what was it published.
- Do you know of the journal or Web Site that the information was published. If so is it authorative?
- If you don't know the site or journal you may need to check on its credentials.

What institution or organisation is or was the author affiliated with?
The prestige of an institution will often reflect on its members

Currency of the information
- When was the information written?
- Is it still relevant?

Comprehensiveness of the information
- How extensive is the coverage of the information?
- What sort of bibliography is provided?

Who is the intended audience?