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Biology Research: Web-Based Resources

Primary vs. Secondary vs. Tertiary Sources

From UCSD's Library libguides adapted from MMW / MCWP guides

Evaluating Sources

When you want to know whether or not a resource will be useful to you, remember to think like A-CRAB. Consider the following qualities:

  • A uthority (Who is the author of the content (not the webmaster)? What organization or institution published the content?)
  • C urrency (Do you see a copyright date that is current? Are the links up to date or broken?)
  • elevance (Is the content relevant to the website and what you're researching?)
  • A ccuracy (What is the purpose of the website and web page you wish to use information from? Are the sources credited?
  • B ias (Is the information presented bias or opinion?)