Library: Research on Reading: The "6 W's" (2024)

These six, one-word questions are an excellent way to help you evaluate an information source:

Who?

Who wrote/created this information, and who are they in terms of this information and in this context? Who is this information for? Who benefits?

What?

What is the source? What format? What are the facts? What is covered, and what isn't? What is the main point? What conclusions does it provide? What evidence does it provide?

When?

When was this information gathered, posted, or published? Which "when" is the information about? Is that time period useful to you? Is it old enough or recent enough?

Where?

Where (a physical place or otherwise) was the information gathered, posted, or published? Which "where" is the information about?

Why?

Why does this information source exist? Why is it provided in this way?

How?

How was the information gathered or created? How was it analyzed? How is it presented?

Library: Research on Reading: The "6 W's" (2024)

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