PASS questions to evaluate resourcesYour Question/Subject : ___________________________
1. Gather your potential resources: Use PASS criteria to evaluate your resources.
P – Purpose: Why was this created/written?
What does the creator/writer hope to accomplish with this?
Why would you use this resource? (Your purpose)A – Authority: Who is the author/publisher? When was it created?
Who is the author? ____________________________
Is the author an expert? ____
What kind of bias does the author have? ___
When was it written or last updated? _______________
Who is the ‘publisher’? __________________________
Is the publisher reliable? ____
Is this item reviewed by someone else? ____ Is it peer review?__
Would you trust this authority? ___S – Scope: What is covered in this source? Who is the information for?
What information or topic is covered within this document?
How thoroughly is the topic covered?
Who is this information for? (Describe the audience)
Is if written for? (reading level) General public?__ Scholars? __ Children?__
Is there some or enough information for you to use this source?___
If not enough information, do you need another source? ___S – Select or Sample Entries: What does a typical entry like?
What does the resource look like? _____________________
Do the entries seem to cover the subject? ___
Do all the elements (text, graphics, hyperlinks, etc) support the topic? ____
Is the information: Accurate? ____ Current? ___
Have you found 2 or 3 other sources that reach the same conclusions (Verifiable)? __
Is the topic a new idea? ___
Is there an experiment or methodology described? ___
Is this a Primary Source? ___ Secondary Source? ___
Is this the kind of information you need? ____
Be careful to look at what is said not just how it looks.Does this site PASS your test?__ Have you considered your own bias? ___
2. Gather citation information 'add new reference' to RefWorks or download citation directly from a database. See 'how to import'
3. Use RefWorks and WriteCite to work with your citations.