Critical thinking

How do I know which results will be useful for my assignment?

It is very important to use reliable and accurate information in your assignments but how do you ensure that the information you have found is of good quality and is relevant for your assignment?
Key questions to ask include:

• Who? – Who wrote the information? Was it an expert in the field?
• What? – What is the information? It is a comprehensive textbook, a review of all the latest research or concentrating on just one aspect of your topic?
• When? – When was it published? Do you need the latest research for your assignment or are you reflecting on historic arguments?
• Why? – Why was it written? It is presenting one point of view or summarising research results?

You can work through the Library online tutorial on Evaluating information and critical thinking to find out more.