How to evaluate what you find

Currency

How up to date is the information source? Does it cover recent developments? Has it been updated (in the form of a new edition or update) to deal with changes in knowledge or corrections? This is more important in some areas (e.g. the sciences) than others (e.g. literature).

Be aware that dates can be misleading:

• Books - It can take up to two years for a book to be published, so the information in a 1999 book may already be out of date. Some dates represent the year a book was republished (as a paperback, or after being out of print for some years).
• Journals - Journal articles are usually printed more quickly than books, but there can still be a delay of over a year (depending on the journal) before you see it, especially considering that many journals are sent to Australia by sea.
• Webpages - Many are updated constantly, but there is no guarantee that the date given (if given at all) is accurate.