Evaluating Information Sources

Important considerations for evaluating information sources include:

• 
  • Who wrote the document?
  • Is there information about the author's qualifications for writing about this topic? (Education, experience, position?)
  • What organization provides the information?
• 
  • What appears to be the purpose for publishing this information?
  • Does what you know about the organization suggest a bias?
• 
  • When was this document created or last updated?
  • Are there errors in spelling and/or grammar?
  • Can you spot any errors of fact?
  • Does the document list the sources of its information?

There are many pages that talk about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Here are some to evaluate:

• Search for Alien Life Gains New Impetus
• Library of Halexandria: Extraterrestrial Life
• NASA's Mars Exploration Program: Goal 1, Determine if Life Ever Arose On Mars
• The Russell Park Incident
• Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems

Updated by Reference.