Evaluating Sources of Information
Evaluating Sources of Information
Evaluating Sources of Information
In the world of click-bait articles, nutrition gurus and other sources of fraudulent nutrition information,
how does one determine what is nutrition fact from fiction? How do you know good sources vs. bad
ones?
For this assignment you will evaluate three (3) sources of nutrition information to determine if they are
good sources or not on a nutrition topic of your interest.
• You must include at least one publication and one website and they should each come from different
sections/categories (Coalitions, Professional, Consumer, etc).
• You must provide a written summary and evaluation for each source. Evaluations must include the following
criteria and information outlined below
• You will be graded on thoroughness of evaluation, attention to detail, well organized writing structure,
and ease of reading.
1. What is your Interest in the source?
• What is the source?
• Why did you chose this particular source of information? How did you find it?
• What were you expecting when you found this source? Did the source fulfill your preconceived ideas and
expectations, or was it different than expected?
2. What is the AUTHORITY of the source?
• Who is the author?
• What else has the author written?
• In which communities and contexts does the author have expertise?
o What are their credentials? Are they appropriate for information they provide?
o Do they have a formal role in a particular institution (e.g. a professor at Oxford)?
• Does the author disclose any conflict of interests (COI)?
3. What is the PURPOSE?
• Why was this source created?
o Does it have an economic value for the author or publisher?
o Is it an educational resource? Persuasive?
What (research) questions does it attempt to answer?
Does it strive to be objective?
o Does it fill any other personal, professional, or societal needs?
• Who is the intended audience?
o Is it for scholars?
o Is it for a general audience?
4. What is the PUBLICATION & FORMAT of the source?
• Where was it published?
o Was it published in a scholarly publication, such as an academic journal?
o If a website, is the domain preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net)?
o Was it formally peer-reviewed?
