{"id":114,"date":"2020-02-11T19:14:56","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T00:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=114"},"modified":"2021-05-31T16:44:41","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T20:44:41","slug":"evaluating-resources","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/chapter\/evaluating-resources\/","title":{"raw":"Evaluating Resources","rendered":"Evaluating Resources"},"content":{"raw":"<h2><span style=\"color: #808080\">This chapter describes why valid resources are important, and how to evaluate potential resources. You'll have a chance to test your knowledge, and then practice evaluating resources.<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<h2>Evaluating Information Resources<\/h2>\r\nResearch is a key part of critical thinking, which is one of the skills most valued by employers. [footnote]\"Employability Skills,\" The Conference Board of Canada, Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/www.conferenceboard.ca\/edu\/employability-skills.aspx[\/footnote] [footnote]AMA Staff, \"AMA Critical Skills Survey: Workers Need Higher Level Skills to Succeed in the 21st Century\", American Management Association, Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/www.amanet.org\/articles\/ama-critical-skills-survey-workers-need-higher-level-skills-to-succeed-in-the-21st-century\/[\/footnote] Since your research is only as good as your sources, you must be sure that every resource you use is valid, current and appropriate.\r\n<h3>Why is valid information important?<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>To make sure your content is reliable and current<\/li>\r\n \t<li>To include experts' experience, opinions, and research<\/li>\r\n \t<li>To eliminate unreliable, biased, outdated, and\/or incorrect information<sup>[footnote]Healey Library, \"Why Is It Important To Evaluate Sources?\", University of Massachusetts Boston,\u00a0Last updated Dec 11, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/umb.libguides.com\/module6[\/footnote]<\/sup><\/li>\r\n \t<li>To understand all sides of a topic<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Because your boss, clients and\/or colleagues depend on the information you provide<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>How do I know if my information is valid?<\/h3>\r\nAs you know, anyone can publish anything online. So before we use a resource, we need to evaluate it to make sure it's valid, current, relevant and accurate. When you evaluate a resource, ask questions such as:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Who wrote or recorded it?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Where did they get their information?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How current is it?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Is the information relevant to your topic?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What is the author's bias? Why did they create and publish this resource?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>How can I evaluate a resource?<\/h3>\r\n<h4>The 5 Ws<\/h4>\r\nThe 5 Ws [footnote]\"Evaluating Your Sources, Langara Library,\" Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/langara.ca\/library\/research-help\/evaluate-your-sources.html[\/footnote] is a great method for evaluating resources. (<em>Click on each W for more information)<\/em>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"14\"]\r\n<h4>The CRAAP Test<\/h4>\r\nDon't be fooled by its fun name \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/library.csuchico.edu\/help\/source-or-information-good\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The CRAAP test<\/a> is an excellent tool for evaluating potential resources.\r\n<h3>Is Wikipedia a good resource?<\/h3>\r\nNo. And yes.\r\n\r\nBecause Wikipedia is crowd-sourced (meaning anyone can edit it anytime) it might contain incorrect information. In reality, incorrect content is usually quickly corrected. But because there's a risk of finding incorrect information, don't use it as your only resource. Don't cite Wikipedia in discussion, papers or reports.\r\n\r\nHowever, Wikipedia is a great place to <em>start<\/em> your research, especially if you know very little about the topic. It typically provides clear overviews and descriptions. (<a href=\"https:\/\/simple.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Simple_English_Wikipedia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Simple Wikipedia<\/a> is even more clear, because it uses simple words and grammar.) And most entries include, at the bottom of the page, a References list of primary resources that typically pass the 5 Ws and CRAAP tests.\r\n\r\nSo use Wikipedia to understand your topic, and then to find useful primary resources. But don't cite Wikipedia or use it as a primary resource.\r\n<h3>What about Chegg and other \"study help\" sites?<\/h3>\r\nNo. Much of the content on sharing sites is anonymous. You can't know if the content is accurate, current or reliable. We've seen lots of incorrect, out of date, and poorly-written content. Use reliable resources instead of sharing sites that aren't validated.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;background-color: #6699ff\">\u00a0Self-assessment\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">[h5p id=\"23\"]<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;background-color: #99cc00\">\u00a0 Canadian Workplace Quiz\u00a0 <\/span><\/h2>\r\n[h5p id=\"54\"]","rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #808080\">This chapter describes why valid resources are important, and how to evaluate potential resources. You&#8217;ll have a chance to test your knowledge, and then practice evaluating resources.<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2>Evaluating Information Resources<\/h2>\n<p>Research is a key part of critical thinking, which is one of the skills most valued by employers. <a class=\"footnote\" title=\"&quot;Employability Skills,&quot; The Conference Board of Canada, Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/www.conferenceboard.ca\/edu\/employability-skills.aspx\" id=\"return-footnote-114-1\" href=\"#footnote-114-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a> <a class=\"footnote\" title=\"AMA Staff, &quot;AMA Critical Skills Survey: Workers Need Higher Level Skills to Succeed in the 21st Century&quot;, American Management Association, Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/www.amanet.org\/articles\/ama-critical-skills-survey-workers-need-higher-level-skills-to-succeed-in-the-21st-century\/\" id=\"return-footnote-114-2\" href=\"#footnote-114-2\" aria-label=\"Footnote 2\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[2]<\/sup><\/a> Since your research is only as good as your sources, you must be sure that every resource you use is valid, current and appropriate.<\/p>\n<h3>Why is valid information important?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>To make sure your content is reliable and current<\/li>\n<li>To include experts&#8217; experience, opinions, and research<\/li>\n<li>To eliminate unreliable, biased, outdated, and\/or incorrect information<sup><a class=\"footnote\" title=\"Healey Library, &quot;Why Is It Important To Evaluate Sources?&quot;, University of Massachusetts Boston,\u00a0Last updated Dec 11, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/umb.libguides.com\/module6\" id=\"return-footnote-114-3\" href=\"#footnote-114-3\" aria-label=\"Footnote 3\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>To understand all sides of a topic<\/li>\n<li>Because your boss, clients and\/or colleagues depend on the information you provide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How do I know if my information is valid?<\/h3>\n<p>As you know, anyone can publish anything online. So before we use a resource, we need to evaluate it to make sure it&#8217;s valid, current, relevant and accurate. When you evaluate a resource, ask questions such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who wrote or recorded it?<\/li>\n<li>Where did they get their information?<\/li>\n<li>How current is it?<\/li>\n<li>Is the information relevant to your topic?<\/li>\n<li>What is the author&#8217;s bias? Why did they create and publish this resource?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How can I evaluate a resource?<\/h3>\n<h4>The 5 Ws<\/h4>\n<p>The 5 Ws <a class=\"footnote\" title=\"&quot;Evaluating Your Sources, Langara Library,&quot; Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/langara.ca\/library\/research-help\/evaluate-your-sources.html\" id=\"return-footnote-114-4\" href=\"#footnote-114-4\" aria-label=\"Footnote 4\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[4]<\/sup><\/a> is a great method for evaluating resources. (<em>Click on each W for more information)<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"h5p-14\">\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-14\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"14\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"The 5 Ws For Evaluating Resources\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>The CRAAP Test<\/h4>\n<p>Don&#8217;t be fooled by its fun name \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/library.csuchico.edu\/help\/source-or-information-good\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The CRAAP test<\/a> is an excellent tool for evaluating potential resources.<\/p>\n<h3>Is Wikipedia a good resource?<\/h3>\n<p>No. And yes.<\/p>\n<p>Because Wikipedia is crowd-sourced (meaning anyone can edit it anytime) it might contain incorrect information. In reality, incorrect content is usually quickly corrected. But because there&#8217;s a risk of finding incorrect information, don&#8217;t use it as your only resource. Don&#8217;t cite Wikipedia in discussion, papers or reports.<\/p>\n<p>However, Wikipedia is a great place to <em>start<\/em> your research, especially if you know very little about the topic. It typically provides clear overviews and descriptions. (<a href=\"https:\/\/simple.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Simple_English_Wikipedia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Simple Wikipedia<\/a> is even more clear, because it uses simple words and grammar.) And most entries include, at the bottom of the page, a References list of primary resources that typically pass the 5 Ws and CRAAP tests.<\/p>\n<p>So use Wikipedia to understand your topic, and then to find useful primary resources. But don&#8217;t cite Wikipedia or use it as a primary resource.<\/p>\n<h3>What about Chegg and other &#8220;study help&#8221; sites?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Much of the content on sharing sites is anonymous. You can&#8217;t know if the content is accurate, current or reliable. We&#8217;ve seen lots of incorrect, out of date, and poorly-written content. Use reliable resources instead of sharing sites that aren&#8217;t validated.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;background-color: #6699ff\">\u00a0Self-assessment\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<div id=\"h5p-23\">\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-23\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"23\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"Evaluating Resources\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;background-color: #99cc00\">\u00a0 Canadian Workplace Quiz\u00a0 <\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"h5p-54\">\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-54\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"54\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"Business Cultural Norms Quiz-Evaluating Resources\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-114-1\">\"Employability Skills,\" The Conference Board of Canada, Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/www.conferenceboard.ca\/edu\/employability-skills.aspx <a href=\"#return-footnote-114-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-114-2\">AMA Staff, \"AMA Critical Skills Survey: Workers Need Higher Level Skills to Succeed in the 21st Century\", American Management Association, Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/www.amanet.org\/articles\/ama-critical-skills-survey-workers-need-higher-level-skills-to-succeed-in-the-21st-century\/ <a href=\"#return-footnote-114-2\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 2\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-114-3\">Healey Library, \"Why Is It Important To Evaluate Sources?\", University of Massachusetts Boston,\u00a0Last updated Dec 11, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/umb.libguides.com\/module6 <a href=\"#return-footnote-114-3\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 3\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-114-4\">\"Evaluating Your Sources, Langara Library,\" Last accessed February 24, 2020, https:\/\/langara.ca\/library\/research-help\/evaluate-your-sources.html <a href=\"#return-footnote-114-4\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 4\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":845,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-114","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":21,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/845"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1783,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/114\/revisions\/1783"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/21"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/114\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=114"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=114"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/lucindaatwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}