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Postgraduate Students (Taught Programmes): Evaluating Information

Skills for study

Based on the work of expert Stella Cottrell, international bestselling author of The Study Skills Handbook, this interactive resource will help you hone and develop your study skills at your own pace. Each module has been carefully designed so you can assess your current proficiency, track your progress, become more confident and get the most out of your course.

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Research ethics for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students

 

Research ethics applications for undergraduate and taught postgraduates are initially reviewed and approved by named supervisors within Faculties or approved by Faculty Ethics Programme Teams. Guidance for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students on how to complete and submit a Research Ethics Checklist can be found here.

Post Graduate Researchers (PhD, MPhil and MRes) and members of BU Staff should consult the Research Ethics tab in the Postgraduate Researchers' guide.

Critical Evaluation of Information Sources

A checklist from the University of Oregon to help you determine the authority, objectivity, quality, currency and relevance of an information source.

Sage Research Methods

SAGE Research Methods includes more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, datasets, case studies and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences. The site is designed to guide users to the content they need to learn a little or a lot about their method. The Methods Map can help those less familiar with research methods to find the best technique to use in their research.

Using Wikipedia

A video from North Carolina State University outlining the pros and cons of using Wikipedia for your research...

How to spot fake news

IFLA. 2017. How to spot fake news [infographic]. The Hague: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Available from: https://www.ifla.org/news/how-to-spot-fake-news-ifla-in-the-post-truth-society [Accessed 04 April 2022].

Evaluating sources - test and checklist

New in 2022 UK Government 'Take care with what you share' online campaign:

"The internet and social media are full of facts and opinions. Most are balanced and informative but others can be misleading or even harmful to share with our friends and families. Worse still, false information can often be about important things that impact whole communities, like health or the environment." (HM Government 2022).


The CRAAP test was developed by Meriam Library at California State University:

  • Currency - The timeliness of the information.
  • Relevance - The importance of the information for your needs.
  • Authority - The source of the information.
  • Accuracy - The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.
  • Purpose - The reason the information exists.

Evaluating Web Pages

A guide from UC Berkeley Library on how to evaluate web pages.

Evaluating Information

A checklist from Leeds University to help you evaluate information sources.