Library

Currency: The timeliness of the information

• When was the info published or posted?
• Has it been updated?
• Do you need the most current info for your topic? 

Relevance: The importance of the info for your needs

• Does the information directly relate to your topic?
• Does it help you answer questions?
• Have you looked at other sources to find the best one? 

Authority: The source of the info

• Who is the author or publisher?
• Are they qualified to write about the topic?
• If it’s a website, does the URL say anything about the source? (.com; .gov; .edu; .org)

Accuracy: The reliability and correctness of the info

• Is the info supported by evidence?
• Can you verify the info with another source?
• Is the author or publisher biased or unbiased? 

Purpose: The reason the info exists

• What is the purpose of the info? (teach, sell, persuade, entertain, etc.)
• Is the info a fact or an opinion?
• Again, is the author or publisher biased or unbiased? 

An in-text citation appears in parentheses, at the end of the sentence. It contains the author’s last name and the page number, if available.

• The study showed more than a ten percent increase (Smith 22).

If there are two or three authors, list them all.

• (Smith and Luke 22)
• (Smith, Luke, and Perro 22)

If there are more than three authors, use the first author’s last name and “et al.” which means “and others.”

• (Smith et al. 22)

If your source does not include the author’s name, use the name of the organization that produced the source.

• (USDA 22)

If the organization is not credited as the author, use the title of the source. Titles are always in quotation marks. 

• (“Obesity Rates in Children” 22) 

If the title is lengthy, you can use the first few words.

• (“Obesity Rates” 22)

If the source does not include a page number, leave it off. Do not assign your own page numbers.

• (Smith)

If you are using more than one source from an author, use the title after the author to avoid confusion.

• (Smith, “Obesity Rates” 22)

If you mention the name of the author in the sentence, you do not need to repeat it in the citation.

• According to Smith, obesity rates are rising (22). 

The period goes after the citation, even when using quotation marks. 

• The results were “highly unusual” (Smith 22).