Faculty Guide to Information Literacy Resources

The frame Authority is Constructed and Contextual may help students who have questions such as:

• How do I determine what makes a source an authority?
• How do I know a source is accurate?
• Reliable?
• Appropriate for my project?

How to Evaluate

There are several methods that can be used to evaluate information:

The one most recommended is:

Lateral Reading

Others Include:

• The 5 W's: asking Who, What, When, Where, and Why? 
• The SIFT Method: Stop, Investigate, Find better coverage, Trace
• CRAAP Test: evaluating currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose
• BEAM Method: looking at background, exhibit, argument, and method sources
• Think Critically: Scoring relevancy, credibility, neighborhood, author, bias, recognition, thoroughness
• Four Moves and a Habit: Check for previous work, go upstream, read laterally, and circle back

New and Diverse Voices

The Association of College and Research Libraries notes that it is important for scholarly researchers and writers to "understand how and why some individuals or groups of individuals may be underrepresented or systematically marginalized within the systems that produce and disseminate information." Scholars can lift up these underrepresented and marginalized voices by intentionally seeking them out and including them in their work.  Find more on this at the Anti-Racism Resources Guide from Forsyth Library.

Video Tutorials:

Interactive Online Lessons:

Lessons and Activities:

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