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Evaluate Sources

When to use CARDIO

CARDIO is great for evaluating scholarly or academic journal articles. It is especially helpful in determining whether or not to use a specific article in your research.

Evaluating Sources - CARDIO

CARDIO is a helpful tool for evaluating a source and deciding whether you should use it in your assignment. It uses five criteria in the acronym: Currency, Authority, Relevance, Documentation, Information Type, and Objectivity. 

The CARDIO questions are meant to serve as a guide rather than a checklist.

C - Currency

  • Is the information up to date? 
  • How important is currency to your topic? 

A - Authority

  • Is the author qualified to speak knowledgeably about your topic? 
  • What are their credentials? 
  • What can you learn about the author by reading laterally?

R - Relevance

  • Does the source help answer your research question?
  • Is the information too advanced to understand or too simple for your assignment?

D - Documentation

  • How in-depth is the information you have found?
  • Is the information supported by quality evidence? 

I - Information Type

  • What type of information is it?
  • Should you use this type of source in your assignment?

O - Objectivity

  • How objective is the author? 
  • Is the information fact based (supported by their documentation) or an opinion? 

CARDIO worksheet

Adapted from the C.A.R.D.I.O. Evaluation Handout by Hamlett and Lacey, Guttman Community College OER collection in CUNY Academic Works and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License.