Evaluating the information received from these sources, especially popular magazines, websites, and even many of the self-help books -- which are written to make the author a profit, it must be acknowledged -- is at least as important as gathering it in the first place. One of the most important considerations in evaluating the information I gather will be determining the purpose and intent of the author/provider of the information. Peer-reviewed sources and websites for certain professional organizations (specifically the APA) are likely to be less biased than the author of a self-help book, for example, because the former are not for-profit endeavors. The purpose and intent of a given piece of information or article speaks a great deal to its validity. If there are motives behind a piece of informative work other than the simple exploration and dissemination of the truth, the validity of that information comes under heavy...
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