Introduction to the Guide

We are surrounded with constant sources of information, but not all sources are created equal and will not meet your research needs. Whether it is for academic or personal research, the task of evaluating sources can be a frustrating one. Within this guide you will find many resources to evaluate a variety of sources. 

Within This Guide:

• Discover SIFT (The Four Moves) for evaluation.
• Learn about common Source Types and how to evaluate them.
• Apply SIFT to your own writings as a Self Evaluation tool. 

For Instructors

Classroom visits

Our librarians are happy to visit your classroom, either in person or by Zoom, to give a demonstration of how to navigate library resources and how to find high quality sources.

Please contact us via instruction request to schedule a library instruction, or view our guide to Library Instruction Services for more information. (Links will open in a new window)

Librarian meeting assignments

In order for us to be better prepared to assist students, when requesting students to meet with a librarian as part of a course assignment, we do ask for any research assignment information to be sent to your RI Librarian with an expectant date of when students will be begin researching.