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Radiologic Sciences and Nuclear Medicine

This Guide is intended to provide contextual information and resources to help answer questions and assist in research for Radiologic Sciences and Nuclear Medicine students and faculty.

How do You Start Evaluating Sources?

Icons of a notebook with pencil, person, building, and arrow. Meant to represent an author, audience, publisher/publication, and purpose.

You need to think about the:

  • Author: Are they a scholar? A medical professional? A journalist? What are their credentials?
  • Audience: Who was this written for? Medical professionals? Scholars? Popular consumption?
  • Publisher/Publication: What is the credibility of the institution or organization responsible for this information?
  • Purpose: Why was this written? To report insight in a particular field? To relay findings of a study? To relay news?

Evaluating Websites of Organizations

Use these tips to evaluate the websites of organizations. Keep in mind that these are only a starting point and not guaranteed to be failsafe in every situation. 

Accuracy/Bias

 Does the information presented on the website appear truthful / impartial, or incorrect / biased?
Funding How is the organization funded? Hint: Government-funded, private donations?
Leadership Who runs / founded the organization? What can you find out about them? Hint: Can you find more through a web search?
Mission

What is the stated or implied mission of the organization? Hint: Look at the "About" page.
Reputation Is this a well-known, well-regarded organization? Have you heard of it before?
Web Address Does the URL end in: .edu, .gov, .org? Note: This is not always full proof. URLs of all types can be bought.

Evaluating Studies

Studies need to be funded. Think about asking yourself these questions to evaluate the information presented and to check for any biases

Accuracy/Bias  Does the information presented appear truthful / impartial or incorrect / biased?

Funding

 Who funded this study? Was it government funded, private donations, a private company? Hint: Government-funded, private donations?
Leadership Who was in charge of the study / who runs the entity that funded it? What Information can you find on them? Hint: Can you find more through a web search?
Mission What is the stated purpose of the study and mission of the entity  that funded it?
Reputation What is the reputation of the authors and the funders? Are they well-known, well-regarded? Have you heard of them before? What information can you find on them?

Image of a check markQuick Tip: Many times clicking on an author, publication, or organization name in a database (like PubMed) record will take you to more information on the entity. However, you can also find information by running a web search.

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