ENG 111 & 112 Course Playbook

Check your sources using the standards below. 

Currency

Check your source's publication date. Is the information still current? When was the last update? How relevant is currency to the field?

Relevance

Is your source relevant to your research? Does it answer your research question, and does it fit with the
assignment parameters? Scholarly or popular? Check terminology, reading level, style.

Authority

Check author credentials. Do they have expertise? Credibility? Check their background. You wouldn't let
a plumber do your root canal, would you?

Accuracy

Is the source accurate? Verify facts and claims against authoritative, independent sources. For example,
check a fact from Wikipedia against the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Purpose

What is the source's purpose? Is it to educate, inform, entertain, promote, persuade? Is the source
neutral or biased? Bias is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has to be taken into account.

For help, contact reference@pvcc.edu