"All that glitters is not gold"---and this is true with the sources you find, whether they be from a book, a library database, or Google. You can use the 5 Ws + How to help you decide whether or not you should use a source:
Who
- Who wrote the piece? What are their qualifications and/or affiliations?
What
- What is the content of the piece about?
- What about the piece is relevant to your research?
When
- When was this piece written?
- What time period is the research from?
Where
- Where was this piece published—in an academic journal, on a blog, a government website, a special interest newsletter?
Why
- Why did the author write this (what is the author’s purpose/bias)?
How
- How was the research done? What does that tell you about the piece?
- How is other research cited?
- How long is the piece?
