Evaluating sources: Purpose

A good way to evaluate a website’s bias is to look for a “about” or “about us” link. It’s usually found at the bottom of the page. 

To Tacoma Community College for their Evaluating Sources LibGuide

• Is the content of the resource primarily opinion or fact? 
• Is the creator/author trying to sell me something, or convince me of something?
• Are there advertisements on the website?
• Is there bias, and if so, is that bias stated upfront? Or is that bias hidden?

Remember, that if obvious biases and agendas are present, it doesn't necessarily mean that you cannot use the source. For example, if you are told to write an argumentative paper exploring both sides of an issue, it doesn’t matter if the sources you find are biased! But you do need to be aware of how it shapes the information and the way it is presented.