We live in an
information-rich society where we can become overwhelmed by information
presented by many types of media at any given time.
Excellent research requires thought and care in choosing the best or most
appropriate sources. Avoid settling for the first three items you find cited in
an electronic or print index. It
is nice to have access to so many resources; however, we must be aware that not all information is accurate or objective.
The Internet is an extremely useful resource for locating information on almost
any topic. However, please realize that not all the
information found on the Internet should be trusted. The Internet can also lead
us to misleading, inaccurate, or totally bogus information. Our ability to
discriminate good sites from bad is an important skill. Several criteria useful
for evaluating information appear below. These criteria are useful for
evaluating Internet resources and virtually any information resource including
books and periodicals.
Criteria
Remember, after applying the following criteria, if you
are still unsure about the quality of the information you have found, ask your
instructor or a librarian for assistance before using the source for your
research or assignment.
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Is the information accurate?
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Do editors verify facts and correct spelling and
grammar?
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Are the sources of information documented? Is a list
of works cited or bibliography provided? Are links to these materials
provided?
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Can you verify the information provided by checking
other sources such as books, periodicals, and other Web pages?
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How does the information fit within your existing
knowledge on the topic?
The following pairs of sites show the range of information
available on the Internet for several specific topics. Choose a pair, and use
the criteria listed above to judge the accuracy and reliability of each site.
Sample Sites:
Authority
- What
are the author's qualifications for writing on this subject?
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Can the author of the site be easily identified?
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Is the author from a known and respected organization
(corporate, government, or non-profit)?
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Does information about the author demonstrate his or
her education, training, affiliations, and/or experience in a field relevant
to the information?
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Is contact information provided for the author
(address, e-mail address, etc.)?
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Can the information presented about the author be
verified in other sources such as printed reference tools (Who's Who, etc.)?
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What is the relationship between the author and the
sponsor/publisher?
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Is it a personal home page or an official page from
an organization or other institution? Web pages with /~name/ in their URL's
may actually be personal home pages. The information may not be less
authoritative, but you may wish to give the page some additional scrutiny.
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Is the author the original creator of the
information?
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What information can be inferred from the site's
top-level domain name (at the end of the URL) to determine sponsorship of
the site?
For example:
- educational institution=.edu
- government department or agency=.gov,
- state.xx.us (for example, .state.sd.us
= South Dakota)
- organization=.org
The following pairs of sites illustrate range of information
available on the Internet on several specific topics. Choose a pair, and use the
criteria listed above to judge the authority of each site.
Sample Sites:
- Who is the intended audience for this site?
- Is the information useful?
- Does it make a significant addition to your research?
- Are the topics included explored in detail?
- Is coverage appropriate for your needs?
- Is original information presented, or are other
documents and links simply repackaged?
The following pair of sites illustrates the range of
information available on the Internet for several specific topics. Choose a
pair, and use the criteria listed above to judge the relevance and
comprehensiveness of each site.
Sample Sites:
Timeliness
- Is the content of the work up-to-date? |
- Are dates clearly presented to the reader?
- Is the meaning of the dates provided explicitly
stated?
- On what date was the information first written or created?
- On what date was the information placed on the Internet?
- On what date was the information last revised?
- Are the links active and kept current?
The following pair of sites illustrates the range of
information available on the Internet from dictionaries. Choose a pair, and use
the criteria listed above to judge the timeliness of each site.
Sample Sites:
Objectivity
- Is the information presented with
a minimum of bias? |
- To what extent is the information presented an
attempt to sway the opinion of the reader?
- Is the information biased?
- Are various sides of the topic or issue presented?
- Is the site used to sell or advertise a product or
service?
- Who sponsors the site? Governmental or educational
sites are less likely to present biased information than company or
organizational are. (Use the domain name at the end of the address to
determine, e.g., .edu, .gov, .com, .net, .org, .mil, etc.)
The following pairs of sites illustrate the range of
information available on the Internet for several specific topics. Choose a
pair, and use the criteria listed above to judge the objectivity of each site.
Sample Sites:
Where to Find the Answers
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Well designed web pages usually share some characteristics:
Header/Footer - Information about web pages should
appear at the top or bottom of each page. This should include:
- The author's name.
- Author's affiliation.
- Author's contact information.
Links - Links should be working and
up-to-date. The following links should be easily located:
- Links to the sponsoring organization, business,
agency, etc (if appropriate).
- Links to the home page of the document (if
appropriate).
- Links to other relevant portions of the site (if
appropriate).
Dates - Dates indicating when the information
was originally created, placed on the Internet, and/or last revised should
be included. An explanation of each date should be included.
Use the practice sheet and the check list below to become better at
evaluating sources.
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