Check Your Sources

September 2014 — Tip of the Month

As the 2014-2015 school season begins, it's a good time to review the proper way to validate your sources of information. Even if you're not in school, it's important to know how to check your sources to make sure they are accurate and credible.

The Internet makes it easy to find information on just about anything. Typing a few keywords in your favorite search engine often yields more webpages than you can possibly visit. However, finding the best and most reliable sources of information can be difficult. One way to review your sources is to use "RADCAB," a helpful mnemonic for evaluating online information.

• Relevancy
• Appropriateness
• Detail
• Currency
• Authority
• Bias

By using the RADCAB checklist, you can ensure each source of information is reliable and accurate. For example, the "Currency" check may lead you to realize an article about global population is ten years old and therefore is no longer valid. The "Authority" check may help you choose an article written from a well-known newspaper over a blog post from an unknown person.

Whether you're writing a research paper or simply sharing something online, it's important to always check your sources. It will allow you to promote accurate information and will help boost your own credibility as well.

- Per Christensson