Summary & Resources

Summary

How many statements did you correctly or incorrectly trust or trash? Please find a summary of the statements that we recommend are either trustworthy or trashable (and untrustworthy).

Trust If...

  • The author’s name is clear and easy to find.
  • The publishers are easy to find.
  • The source is peer-reviewed.
  • The information is timely and current for your discipline.
  • You can tell where the information comes from - the sources or a bibliography are listed.
  • The information matches what you’ve found in multiple other sources.
  • The information presented objectively, the language is objective and free of emotion.
  • The purpose is clear, i.e. to information, educate, entertain or sell or convince you of something.

Trash If...

  • You can’t find information about the author’s qualifications, affiliations or experience.
  • A date for the information isn’t given.
  • The information seems out of date based on other information you’ve read or know about.
  • Wikipedia has a bibliography so it’s a trustworthy source.
  • Peer-reviewed content is irrelevant.
  • The sponsor is clearly stated and any conflicts of interest are stated.
  • The information includes the promotion and sale of a product, or point of view.
  • It's clearly written for another audience, not the one that you need.

The attached summary of statements are both the correct and incorrect statements (DOCX 51KB)

Resources