MUI1020HF: Civic Engagement and Economic Development

It's important to evaluate the quality of all the information you find.  If you are using materials from the Web, this is even MORE important.

Think about the following:

• Expertise:  Does the author(s) or individuals cited (in case of an article) have the appropriate subject expertise?
• Bias:  Is there a particular agenda or perspective that is being advocated that is not supported by the data or facts?  How neutral or independent is/are the author(s)?
• Discrepancies:  Does the headline match the facts or data being referenced?
• Date:  How current is the content?
• References:  Does the content cite or appropriately reference the data that it uses?
• Methodology:  Do the models, surveys or other studies conducted explain the methodology used?  What assumptions do they make?  If sampling is involved, is the sample size and construction appropriate? 

While think-tank reports or briefings may be written by researchers with academic affiliations, they do not go through the same peer review process associated with journal articles.  Below are some resources to help evaluate the content you are using from these sources.

Credit to the Think Tank Search guide from Harvard Kennedy School's Library and Knowledge Services for highlighting these sources.