Evaluating+Sources

**I just found a new source of information. How can I tell whether it is accurate and unbiased?**
No source created by humans is ever completely unbiased, because humans are never unbiased - everyone has a particular way of looking at the world. However, we still consider some sources to be closer to "the truth" than others!

When studying American Indians and their cultures, it is especially important to be on the lookout for stereotypes, biased language, and factual errors. American Indians have often been presented as "primitives," "noble savages," or "a vanishing race". Non-Indian writers have often ignored key facts: American Indians are not all alike; different American Indians tribes have different cultures; and those cultures have changed over time.

When you are trying to decide whether you should trust a source of information, ask questions about who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Is the person (or persons) an expert on the topic? What makes them an expert? What biases is the person likely to have, considering their personal background?
 * Who wrote/filmed/recorded/created this source?**

Do they tell you what sources they used, so that you can check their work?
 * What sources of information did they use to create it?**

In general, older books, films, and photographs are more likely to present American Indians in a stereotypical way. Be more cautious of older sources, especially those created by non-Indians.
 * When did they create it?**


 * Where did they create it?**

Was the source created for educational purposes? Was it created to make money? Was it created to prove a particular point?
 * Why did they create it?**

Do they use words like "primitive" and "savage"? Do they say or imply that American Indians are a part of the past and don't exist in the present time? Do they lump all American Indians together? Or do they approach their topic with respect and make distinctions between different American Indian tribes or different time periods? If you answered "yes" to any of the first three questions, you should be suspicious about the source's accuracy and objectivity, and you should seek out other sources to compare it to. If you answered "yes" to the last question, the source is more likely to present trustworthy information.
 * How do they present their information?**

It is ALWAYS a good idea to use multiple sources of information! Sometimes, you may not even realize that a particular source is biased or inaccurate until you compare it to other sources.

For more on this topic, see [|Techniques for Evaluating American Indian Websites].