| Credibility | Is an author listed? | _____ |
| Does the author cite sources or a bibliography? | _____ | |
| Does the author cite formal credentials or experience? | _____ | |
| Can you contact the author? | _____ | |
| Do you know who published the book? Are they reputable? | _____ | |
| Bias | ||
| Does the book present information in an objective manner? | _____ | |
| Are all sides of an issue represented? | _____ | |
| If not, can you determine the bias of the book? | _____ | |
| Audience | ||
| Is the level of the book appropriate to your needs? | _____ | |
| Does the content cover several topics minimally or one topic in detail? | _____ | |
| Accuracy | Does the book provide documentation for the information provided? | _____ |
| Does the book provide information that contradicts other sources? | _____ | |
| Does the book include an explanation of its research methods? | _____ | |
| Currency | ||
| Was the information recently published? | _____ | |
| Has it been updated or revised? | _____ | |
|
Relevance |
Does the information add to or support your research? | _____ |
| Does the book provide references that are also useful? | _____ | |
| Does the book provide more or less information than you need? | _____ |
This checklist was developed at the University of North Carolina by Suchi Mohanty of the House Undergraduate Library, Lisa Norberg and Kim Vassiliadis, of University Library Instructional Services, and Shauna Griffin of the School of Information and Library Science.
