You may think . . .

"It's published, so I can use it." Well, maybe. If it's published by a legitimate publisher or if it appears in a database, the information is more likely to be reliable. But it might not be a good source because of its focus, publication date, or type (for example, a popular magazine if your instructor wants you to use a scholarly journal).

"It came up on the first page of results when I searched the database." Hold on! Many databases put their results in date order. What comes up first are the most recent articles. They may not be the ones that are best for your research.

"I did a search on Google, and it was one of the first sites, and Google has relevancy ranking." Slow down! Searching on the Web brings you face-to-face with the need for evaluating sources for reliability AND appropriateness to the project. Look at those sites critically!

Does your source cite other sources used in their research? If so, what are these sources, and how are they used? Here are a few things to consider when evaluating the information quoted in Stolen Focus, using the '"CRAAP" method.

• Currency: when was the source published? In subjects like psychology, it's important to have the most current information possible.
• Relevance: how does the information presented relate to the subject at hand?
• Authority: who (whether a person or organization) is the author of the source?  Why should I trust them?
  • Is this information from an expert, or the opinion of a person who has no background/education in the subject?
  • Is the information presented in a reliable publication? Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites are NOT reliable.
• Accuracy: do quotes or summarized ideas presented in the source doing the quoting accurately reflect what the source they're quoting says? Where is that source getting their information?
• Purpose: why was the source chosen?  Is the purpose of the source to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?