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Art History and Visual Culture: Source criticism

Source criticism

Some pointers to think about when judging a source.

  • WHO has written it?
       –the author, the author’s authority, earlier publications
  • WHAT is written?
       –science? popular science?
       –references?
       –political or other tendency?
  • WHY is it written?
       –facts or opinions?
  • WHEN is it written?
       –old does not have to mean bad, but reflect on it.

Evaluating Sources - try the CRAAP-test!

Source criticism on the internet

  • WHO has written?
    –name? organisation?
    –URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
    –University? Company? Private person?
    –Top-level domain
           • .edu   education
           • .com  commercial business
           • .org    organisation
           • .se     Sweden
           • .uk     United Kingdom
           • .us     USA
  • WHAT is written?
    –references?
    –scienceness?
    –political or other tendency?
    –links?
  • WHY is it written?
    –aims?
  • WHEN is it written?
    –useful for your purpose?
       –updated?

On the Internet, Nobody Knows You're a Dog

(New Yorker 5/7 1993)