Evaluating Internet Sources
Learning how to evaluate good sources of information will help you long after you graduate from college. Learn more by checking out these other websites or by talking to a librarian (call 651-690-6652 for help).
Things to Consider for Evaluating the Internet: |
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| Authorship | Accuracy |
| Publishing Body | Currency |
| Point of View | Appropriateness |
Learn More: |
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| Evaluate the Web with the Library Fairy! (video clip) | |
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of this guide. Authorship
- Is the author clearly stated?
- What are the author's qualifications? Institutional affiliation?
- Is the author well-known and respected in his or her field?
- Is the author mentioned in a positive way by another authority you trust?
- If none of the above is present, is there contact information given (other than an email address) that would allow you to verify the author?
| Example of: | Source | Why? |
| Poor authorship: | Electronic Frontier Foundation | This website is sponsored by an organization promoting free speech. This will not neessarily give you unbiased information. |
| Scholarly authorship: | Library of Congress: Links to Historical Documents | This is a website from the US government that includes the actual text of the First Amendment. |
Publishing Body
- Is the name of any organization given on the page?
- Is this organization recognized in the field you are studying? Try to use information from government agencies, trade or professional associations, major universities, or research centers.
- Does the page actually reside in an individual's personal Internet account? This is frequently the case if the URL contains a tilde (~), (e.g. http://www.someschool.edu/~olson/get_rich.html or http://www.geocities.com/johnsmith/mywebpage.html). Approach this type of resource with caution.
- Check to see if the URL moves or disappears abruptly. Reliable Web sites establish markers to help you easily find new locations of pages.
| Example of: | Source | Why? |
| Poor publishing body: | In Defense of Affirmative Action | This collection of articles is published online only. There is no contact information given and may have dubious origins. Proceed with caution! |
| Reputable publishing body: | Affirmative Action (Ohio University) | This website is from Ohio University, an actual brick and mortar institution. We can assume that it has good information, although we should still check other sources. |
Point of View or Bias
- Is the author or publisher trying to promote a particular philosophical viewpoint or political agenda? Try to determine this by examining the URL and by reading other pages on the Web site. Businesses, political groups, and advocacy groups usually have some bias.
- Does the Web site have a stated purpose?
- Is the page an advertisement for something?
- Is this Web site hosted by or affiliated with an organization or Web server with a political or philosophical agenda?
| Example of: | Source | Why? |
| Biased webpage: | Abortion TV: The Internet's #1 abortion information source | Despite claiming to be "#1 information source," this website is biased. Although biased webpages may have vaulable information, be sure to read the official opinions before using facts for research. |
| Unbiased webpage: | Medline Plus: Abortion | This website from the National Institutes of Health gives a medical definition of the controversial topic of abortion and does not express opinions. |
Accuracy
- Did you find this document through a link on another page whose quality you trust?
- Does the document cite (or link to) other sources or include a bibliography?
- For a research document, is there an explanation of how the data was gathered and interpreted?
- Could you verify the background information that was used?
- Can the author be contacted by mail or e-mail for clarification or to be informed of new information?
- Is the text well-written? Is it free of grammatical, spelling, and other typographical errors?
- Is it clear who has the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of the material?
| Example of: | Source | Why? |
| Questionable accuracy: | Children and Television Violence | This website provides facts and figures without any references and quotations without citations. Such claims should be substantiated. |
| More accuracy: | Violence on Television | This website provides the credentials for the researchers in this area and also supplies a list of additional resources. |
Currency
- Is it clear when the page was created? Copyrighted? Last updated?
- If the text is based on another source, does it indicate the date of that source (e.g., "Based on 1990 US Census data...")?
| Example of: | Source | Why? |
| Older information: | The Truth About Stem Cells | While this website includes a date, the article on stem cells is from 2001. Three years can make a big difference in the world of science and other areas. |
| Current information: | Stem Cell Research Foundation | This website provides listings of articles by date so that you can be sure you're getting recent information on the topic. |
Appropriateness
- Did you get the best information? Did you miss any good Web sites?
- Does a more "traditional" source in the library, such as a reference book or journal article database, provide superior information?
- If you found this website through an Internet search engine such as Google, you need to know how this search engine decides the placements of results. Some engines allow companies to pay for top placement.
| Example of: | Source | Why? |
| Web information: | National Atlas | Although the US government can supply us with wonderful maps, they may be easier to view in book form. |
| Print information: | MacMillian Color Atlas of the States G1200 .M4 1996 |
This Atlas is located in the Reference Room in the Library. Sometimes it is easier and more useful to consult print formats such as books. |
Find Out More:
Cornell University: Critically Analyzing Information Sources
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm
UC Berkeley Library: Evaluating Web Pages
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
Johns Hopkins: Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/index.html
University of Minnesota: Evaluating Web Resources
http://www.lib.umn.edu/libdata/page.phtml?page_id=1691
Evaluating the Web with the Library Fairy (video clip on YouTube)
Find out more about this and other film projects from the St. Kate's Library.