How to evaluate what you find

When do I need to evaluate?

You should evaluate:

• when you first look for information in a catalogue or search engine
• when you have the information in your hand, or on the screen, and you are deciding whether it is usable.

Evaluation begins when you look for information and you are deciding whether it is worth walking upstairs to get a book off the shelf, or following a particular link on a web page. Doing this efficiently can save you a lot of time and effort.

Once you have a piece of information, you need to decide whether it can be used in your work, and whether the information is reliable.