There are hundreds of acronyms out there to help students practice evaluating their resources. Each librarian and teacher has a preference. You may have encountered some before coming to Wartburg, or even in your time here. PATS, SIFT, CRAPP, RADAR, PROVEN, etc. At Vogel, we've tried to respond to the trending acronym at any given moment, and it's left us needing to update our materials continually and has caused confusion with our students.
This year we've decided to phase out our past usage of PATS and SIFT to instead model our evaluation off of the questions critical readers ask themselves when they happen upon a new source. We hope this will create consistency over time and between courses.
You answer these three questions every time you use a source, whether you know it or not.
Start noticing how you answer these questions to ensure your sources are really meeting your needs.
Vogel Library, Wartburg College | 100 Wartburg Blvd, Waverly, IA, 50677 | Phone: 319-352-8500 | Email: asklibrarian@wartburg.edu