28 Consider Currency
To evaluate the currency of your information source, you will first need to know the requirements of your assignment. You may be able to use older sources, or you may need to look for current information. Currency is also somewhat discipline or topic dependent; research in history or literature may involve using sources older than 10 years but in the sciences and technology, up-to-date information can be extremely important.
And sometimes, our research may involve examining a change in thinking or perspective over time, in which case you may need a variety of sources spanning a certain period.
Learn to ask the following kinds of questions:
- What is the publication or copyright date?
- Is it a reprint of a previous work? a new edition or revision?
- Is there newer information available on the topic?
- How might ideas and perspectives have changed since the work was published?
ACTIVITY: Decide Whether the Following Sources are Current Enough for the Topic
Chose the correct answer. Click the arrow to answer all 3 questions. (Maximize the image by clicking the plus +.)