Currency
Some topics require current information whereas other subjects value older material as well as current. For example: Health, medical and other sciences may require the most current information whereas geology and history may value older material as well.
If you know the time needs of your topic you can then examine the timeliness of the article and ask, is it:
- Up-to-date?
- Out-of-date?
- Timeless?
Be careful to also check the dates of the references at the end of an article - a recent article may only refer to old research.
