One way to quickly evaluate the information in front of you is to consider the "3 C's":

Credibility (their expertise makes your paper more authoritative)

• Who is the author? (okay to "Google" them)
• What makes them an expert on this subject?
• Is the author's intention to educate (share knowledge) or persuade?

Content

• Is it good enough for college-level research? Or is it too basic? Too "scholarly" (assume a level of understanding beyond your grasp)?
• Does it provide you with new knowledge?
• Does it support or challenge what you already know about the subject?

Currency

• Is it current enough for your research needs? Or could you likely find something more recent?
• Does it provide you with an accurate snapshot of the time? Fill in blanks of recent events? Provide a history or synthesis of relevant information?
• Remember, currency is relative:

Newspapers = published every day or weekly
Magazines = published weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly
Scholarly Journals = published quarterly (on average)
Books = take a year or more to write, publish, and distribute
Statistics = often take a year or more to collect, analyze, publish, and distribute