D is for Date
You need to consider when the source was published. Is the source current enough for your topic?
There are some topics that are constantly changing and updating, and therefore you should make sure you are getting the most current and up-to-date information. For the following topics you should find sources that are no more than 5 years old:
- current events
- technology
- medical topics
- anything for which we are improving our understanding or perspective
There are some topics that are acceptable to find older information and still be accurate for your research:
- history-related, especially from that time period (primary sources)
- comparing past understandings or culture to today's
- anything for which our understanding or facts of the topic hasn't changed
Finding the Date for Articles
Typically, an article is contained in a newspaper, magazine, or journal, so you are looking for when that periodical was published. If you find the article in a library database, look for the Source line in EBSCO databases, From in Gale databases, and in general, wherever you find the information about the periodical the article was found in.
If you are looking at an article in print, you typically need to look for the date of publication on the front cover or spine or with the title of the periodical. Here is an example for a newspaper:
