CURRENT: Although this might not apply to research about the French Revolution or Thoreau, current information is key is many cases.
If you’re looking for information about a current issue, a living person, or a scientific theory, make sure to find up-to-date sources.
- Web 2.0 resources, if read critically, are often very up-to-date. For instance, some scientists keep a personal blog of their findings or have created a wiki for their students describing their work.
When was the resource published or updated?
- Your biology textbook mentions genetic mapping. When my biology textbook was published, that process did not yet exist.
Ex: http://curezone.com/art/read.asp?ID=2&db=13&C0=7 versus http://www.ebiologynews.com/2771.html
- Watch out for updated country information. In the last 20 years, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, Germany became a unified country, several African and Asian nations have changed names and border locations, and the US cycled through four presidents.
- Books and periodicals clearly list their publication dates.
- Websites can be tricky – many do not post a “last updated” date, so you’ll have to use your judgment.
Ex: http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-States-of-America.html (scroll down to bibliography at the end)
Most Web 2.0 resources are consistently excellent at capturing the date and time that information was posted. Every blog and wiki entry notes that date posted or last edited.