Because sources on the web or in social media can be created by anyone, they should always be evaluated for their credibility and authority. A popular benchmark is the AAOCC (Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage) criteria for evaluating resources:
Authority : Who is the author?
- Always ask yourself whether the organization sponsoring a particular site is a well known, reliable, and suitable site for the document—a research center, for example, a college or university, or a government office?
Accuracy : How accurate is the source?
- Data and information must be based on observations, measurements, analyses, interpretations and conclusions. All information should be verifiable
Objectivity : How objective is the source?
- Is there a strong point of view or bias? Is there a lot of advertising? Does the language used on this site suggest a specific ideology or social or political agenda? Do they include opposing views?
Currency: What is the site's currency?
- Is the information up-to-date or are the resources outdated? Have they kept up with trends and technology?
Coverage: Does it adequately cover the topic?
- Does the information source leave questions unanswered (ask the "five W's and H" to check: who, what, when, where, why and how)? Consider comparing one source's coverage to another source.
