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First Year Experience - Learning to Evaluate Information: Why use a rubric for evaluating a source?

In this instructional session, students learn to use a rubric to evaluate information found on the Web and in databases.

Why use a rubric to review your resources?

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A good research paper begins with good resources. How you do know if the information you've found is suitable for your assignments?

  • Rubrics apply the same, preset criteria to each resource, no matter where you found it.
  • The resource's rubric score can help you decide what resources are useful and you can discard unsuitable ones.
  • You can show your instructor the rubric and explain how you scored the resource.

Did you know?

Resources that come from the library database, like ProQuest, don't need to be evaluated for credibility.

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Why not?

Because to be included in one of the library databases, articles have to come from scholarly, professional, or trade journals. They've already been reviewed for authority, accuracy, and relevancy before they even get published!