Relevance

Relevance is the extent to which the information contributes to answering the research question. This includes main, sub and search questions. You assess the information and sources of information found based on content, form and topicality.

Content and level of the information

Matching information to question and purpose
Does the information answer your (research) question?
Does the information give the general scope or does it concern exceptions or specific areas?
Does the quality and level match the question and objective? If you are doing research on depression, an article from Vogue or Quote will not have the required quality level. Articles from professional journals or even scientific magazines are more suitable (see Information sources).
Completeness: Have you not overlooked any relevant information, and have you considered all selected opinions? Completeness is often not possible and usually not necessary.

Topicality

This word is usually used for recent events or developments. In order to determine whether information is up to date, you have to check whether the information from a certain year still corresponds to the current situation. Sometimes certain information does not change. An older book or article may still be relevant. Publications that retain their value are called core publications. Usually, it is important to find up-to- date information, but not always. A historian will mainly look for old, often not up-to-date information. It therefore depends on the (research) question and the objective.