Evaluating Internet Sources

A brief lesson on how to assess the quality and worth of

an Internet source
 Anyone can print anything on the
Internet
Internet sources must be evaluated to assure
their authenticity and relevance because Web
sites and pages do not go through the intensive
editing processes that traditional print and
visual resources do.
Therefore, YOU, the user, must learn to
assess the validity of the sources you use in
your research.
Don’t be fooled into believing that just
because it’s on the Internet, it’s true. In
essence, don’t believe everything that you read!
 Why wouldn’t we want to use
Wikipedia?
 Let’s take a look at Wikipedia’s “about us” page…

“Wikipedia is written collaboratively by

largely anonymous Internet volunteers
who write without pay. Anyone with
Internet access can write and make
changes to Wikipedia articles…”
Criteria for Evaluating Internet
Sources

Authority
Currency
Accuracy
Objectivity
Usability
Appropriateness
 Authority

 Authority refers to the reliability and credibility of

the source.
 What are the author’s qualifications?
 Is the author or source affiliated with a reputable
organization?
 Is there a contact person listed?
 Is there evidence of quality control?
 Examine the Domain
One good way to assess the credibility of an authority or
web site is to examine the URL

 edu = college or university

 gov = government agency or organization
 org = non-profit organization
 mil = military organization
 com = commercial organization
 info = general information site
 net = network provider
 int = intergovernmental organization
 Be wary ...

•A tilde ~ after the domain type usually

indicates a personal web page and not an
official part of that organization’s site
•Look for personal data about the author or
organization
•Look for contact information, an email
address, webmaster, editor, etc.
 Currency … or timeliness

Very often, Internet sources offer a real

advantage in that they are often even
more current than traditional print
sources.
The information can be updated
constantly.

However, you must be aware that the dates on an Internet

site have various meanings.
 Examine the date...

 Date of information - usually indicates when the

material was originally written
 Date of publication - usually indicates when the
material first appeared on the Web
 Date of last revision or update - usually indicates the
latest revision
 And check the links to make sure that they are up-do-
date!!!
 Accuracy
Accuracy refers to the Is the information
reliability of the
information.
 Dependable?
?
?
 Error-free?

?
To examine the quality  Documented?
of the content on the  Accurate?
 Comprehensive?
site, ask the following
 Understandable?

?
questions:

? ?
 Objectivity
This refers to purpose of the site, evidence of bias
or prejudice, and facts vs. opinion.
 Is there evidence of  What is the purpose of
bias? the site? To persuade,
 Is only one side of an inform, explain, sell,
issue presented? promote, or ridicule?
 Is any information  Can you tell facts from
purposely omitted? opinions?
 Is there a hidden
message?
 Usability
Usability refers to user friendliness and how easily the site allows
you to retrieve information. Consider the following criteria:

 User friendliness- Is it  Design- Is it clean, clear,

easy to find, read, and and uncluttered?
use the information?  Consistency- Are
 Organization- Is it navigation buttons the
logically and clearly same throughout?
arranged?  Links- Are they clear,
 Table of Contents or accurate, workable,
Index- Is it labeled clearly valuable?
and is it complete?
 Appropriateness
Various types of webpages exist. Examine the purpose of the site
to help you to determine the appropriateness for use in your
research. Five types are listed below.
(from Jan Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate of Widenour University)

 Advocacy Webpages
 Business/Marketing Webpages
 Informational Webpages
 News Webpages
 Personal Webpages
 Finally...
Remember that the Internet is not the only source of
information.
 It is very useful for some  Always question the
topics and almost useless validity of the information
for others. that you find.
 Use a variety of sources,  Remember the important
both Internet and evaluation criteria to
traditional sources consider.
Remember the Criteria for
Evaluation
Authority
Currency
Accuracy
Objectivity
Usability
Appropriateness
List of Credible Research Sources to
Consider
1. Government Entities
 
These websites tend to be reliable since they are highly regulated. Examples
include the CIA World Factbook and the United States Justice Statistics.
 
2. Research Think Tanks
 
Examples of reliable research think tanks include Rand Corporation, Pew
Research Center and The Milken Institute.
 
 
3. Academic Libraries and Databases
 
ProQuest, Scopus, EBSCO, PubMed and Jstor are great examples of academic
libraries and databases that can be trusted.
 
 
List of Credible Research Sources to
Consider Cont’d
4. Professional Standards Organizations
 
The American Bar Association and 
The American Psychological Association (APA) are highly credible sources
when it comes to professional standards.
 
5. Newspapers and magazines are also rich sources of information about
what is happening now. Consider browsing through the Daily Express, The
Newsday, The Guardian Newspaper,  New York Times, TIME, and the Wall
Street Journal.
6. Don’t forget the library. Often this rich source of information is
overlooked because students think it’s more convenient to look subjects up
online. The problem with that is you miss out on accidentally stumbling
upon a book or magazine that might just be the perfect source for your
research paper.
 And you’ll be a...
Happier,

Smarter,

More Successful
Researcher!!