In addition to "traditional" ways of evaluating sources, like currency, authority, source type, etc., consider how you might use the source in your work.
The BEAM framework can help you start thinking about the purpose of a source in your work.
BEAM stands for: Background, Exhibit, Argument, Method.
Background: using a source to provide general information to explain the topic. For example, the Oxford Encylopedia of American Poetry's entry on Vietnam in Poetry and Prose for a paper about literature of the Vietnam War.
Exhibit: using a source as evidence or examples to analyze. For a literature paper, this could be a poem or book you are analyzing. Using the theme above, this could be Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried as an example of a Vietnam War novel.
Argument: using a source to engage its argument. For example, you might engage with the argument of the peer-reviewed paper A Kinetoscope of War: The Cinematic Effects of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried about the use of language to evoke the feeling of watching a film.
Method: using a source’s way of analyzing an issue to apply to your own issue. Don't worry about this element for this assignment.
Adapted from: https://library.hunter.cuny.edu/research-toolkit/how-do-i-use-sources/beam-method
What if you can't find a book or resource on your topic? Try thinking around your topic and breaking your topic into more specific questions.