When evaluating a source to use in your academic studies you will need to ensure that the information is relevant in order to meet assessment requirements. The content on this page explains how to assess the relevance of a variety of sources as well as how to read and understand your assignment question.
The slides below contain hints and tips for working out if a book, article, or website is relevant. Adapted from Choosing & using sources: A guide to academic research.
Before you can check if the information is relevant, first you need to understand the assessment requirements. The Learning Hub has a useful guide How to unpack assignment questions which covers everything that you need to know about assignment questions.
Want to know more about reading critically? Chapter 4 in the book The media and communications study skills student guide covers how to determine relevance and think about the purpose of a source.
Watch the following video for more information and tips.