Skip to Main Content

LANG 1409 - Academic English for Science Studies

Remember to Evaluate

Remember that evaluation & selection are important part of your searching and creating. Watch the videos and read the information in the boxes below:

Video on evaluating sources: who, what, when!  (2 min):

Lateral Reading (3 min 33 sec) from the University of Louisville Library

Evaluate all Sources

It is important to remember that published information is not always trustworthy or useful. When using information from any source, it is crucial to carefully evaluate the credibility and suitability of that source before relying on the content.

Who (Authority)

  • Can you identify the author? What are the author's credentials?
  • If the author is an organization, what type of organization is it? Check the domain (the three-letter extension of the URL) for affiliation, e.g., gov (government site), edu (academic site), com (commercial site), org (organization site). 
  • Who hosts or publishes the webpage? Is the webpage affiliated with a reputable organization?
  • Look for the information in "about", "about us", "who we are" or "what is"... This usually appears on the top or at the bottom of the Website's homepage.

When (Currency, Timeliness)

  • How up-to-date is the information listed?
  • When was it published?
  • When was the webpage last revised?  (last revised or updated date)

What (Objectivity & Evidence)

  • What is the purpose of this book, journal, magazine, site or page? Why was it created? 
  • Is it striving for objectivity? Avoid obvious bias if you are trying to report "facts", and try to cross-check.
  • Is the content "scholarly" or "popular"? Is the topic covered in-depth, or is it given a general or surface treatment?
  • Did the author give evidence or acknowledge the original sources of any data/figures/charts included?
  • Does it suit my needs?

Cross-check and Fact Check

  • Can you find the information, theories etc. backed up by other information sources (newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals)
  • Cross-check statistics, news reports, etc.
  • Beware of fake news circulating on social media, explore these fact-check sites

Other evaluation frameworks:

CRAP CRAAP RADAR

Currency

Reliability

Authority

Purpose/point for creation

Currency

Relevance

Authority

Accuracy

Purpose

Reason (for creation)

Authority

Date

Accuracy

Relevance

Using ChatGPT and other Generative AI Tools

A common problem with many generative AI text tools is that they generate plausible but factually incorrect information (hallucinations) or fabricated references (hallucitations), examples:

So, if you use texts generated by ChatGPT or other generative AI tools, be cautious and cross-check the information. Evaluate the information provided, just like anything you plan to use academically.

Just as we've covered in the sections above:

1. Cross-check what it says & do "lateral reading"

  • Check against your own knowledge
  • Check against Wikipedia or Britannica
  • See if other reliable sources state the same thing
  • This is not new with generative AI, it's always been good scholarly practice

To learn more about lateral reading,  watch:

2. Confirm that any references it provides are real

3. If the references (citations) are real, check that they support the claim

  • This is *NOT* a new issue with AI tools, it's always been important to do so.
  • This is proper scholarly practice when working with sources both in print and online.

4. If you use ChatGPT or other AI tools in your work, you need to acknowledge it.

© HKUST Library, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. All Rights Reserved.