|
Evaluating
Online Resources 
Sites on the
Internet vary in quality. Because
of the ease with which information can be published online, sometimes it is
difficult to judge which sources are reliable and which are untrustworthy. Before you
even consider using content from those sites in your research, think about your
(or your professor's) requirements for the quality and reliability of your
information. Think critically about what you encounter on the Web.
Go beyond what a site looks like, and don't let technology camouflage poor
content.
-
Is this
site as good as resources you could find if you used the Library, or some of
the Web-based indexes available through the library, or other print
resources?
-
Information found on the Web is not a substitute for
library resources. You can find some great background information on the
Web, but you probably won't be able to cite this in your research.
-
While there is a good deal of useful information on the
Web, it is not peer-reviewed, and is often not updated, and often
inaccurate. If you have any doubts about the site's integrity,
then you should reconsider this Website as a credible source that can be
used in your research.
Check List: Authority
| Accuracy | Time
| Coverage | Format
Authority
Determining the authority
of any site is vital if you plan to use it as a source for an academic
paper or research project. Check the links for
organizations and associations - use
these sources to verify the
authority of sites you encounter on the Net.
-
Check the URL domain.
- Dot com sites want to sell you something
- Dot org sites try to sway you to their opinion; not all are charitable
groups
- Dot gov means that it is by an official state or U.S. government agency
- Dot edu are educational institutions (beware of sites with a ~ in the URL
because this is a personal opinion page
-
Who
is responsible for the contents of the site:
Is there an "About Us" page?
- Remember, the Web is a
self-publishing medium: anyone can publish
anything on the Web.
-Does the individual indicate his/her
qualifications for writing on this topic? Personal pages are useful for
personal opinion, but use caution when quoting them for factual
information
-
Is there a way to verify the
legitimacy of
this individual or company? Is there a phone number and address to contact
for more information?
- An e-mail address alone is not enough:
is this a real place that has real contact information?
- If this is a company Web page, is it clear
that the content has the official approval of the company?
-
Is there a statement that the material is
protected by copyright? Is the name of the copyright holder given?
Top
Accuracy
Eventually, you will come across information on the Web that is not
entirely true. In addition to determining the authority of a site, you
also need to determine if it is presenting accurate information.
-
Are the sources for any factual information
clearly listed so they can be verified in another source? If not, it could be
useful as an example of ideas from an individual, but not as a source of
factual information. There is a difference between author and webmaster.
-
Is there a print equivalent version of this
material which would provide a way of verifying its accuracy?
-
Are the person's [organization's] biases
clearly stated? How objective is the presentation?
-
Is there advertising? Is it clearly labeled
so that it can be set apart from the informational content?
Are they just trying to sell you something? What kind of ads appear on this
site? Evaluating the quality of advertisers on a site can help you evaluate
the authority of the contents on the site.
-
Are editorials and opinion pieces clearly
labeled as such?
-
Are the charts/graphs containing statistical
data clearly labeled and easy to read? Is it clearly stated where the data
was gathered from?
-
Is the information free of grammatical,
spelling, and other errors? These kinds of errors indicate a lack of quality
control, and sometimes can produce inaccuracies in information.
Top
Time
(Currency)
-
Are there dates on the site to indicate:
when the page was written; when the page was first placed on the Web;
when the page was last revised; are there details about exactly when the page was
posted to the Web (for
example, on news sites such as USA Today, date and time of day
can be important)
-
Are there any other indications that the
material is kept current?
-
If the material is quoted from other
sources, is it clearly labeled what source has been used to obtain the
information?
-
Dead links happen;
but if there are too many, this could indicate lack of consistent updating.
-
Are charts/graphs, photos, surveys or annual
reports clearly labeled and easy to read? Is it clearly stated where the
data was gathered from and its date of publication?
-
Is there a searchable archive of older
material? Is this appropriate to this particular site?
Top
Coverage
-
Is the site complete - or still under
construction?
-
Is the same level of information provided
for all sections of the site?
-
If there is a print equivalent to the Web
site, is there a clear indication of how much of it is on the Web?
-
It is frequently difficult to determine the
extent of coverage in Web pages. How much information is given - is it weak
or comprehensive on factual support?
-
What level of user is the information geared
to, who is the target audience:
- general public, children, student, scholar,
scientific?
-
Is there a link to a page which describes
the coverage of the source?
Top
Format
(Layout)
-
Can you access the site with older browser
versions? Is there a text only version so that you can still access the text
if your browser can't display graphics or read frames?
-
Do you need to download free software for
enhanced access before you can use the site? Is there a link to the software
( such as Acrobat Reader, Java, etc.)?
-
If the page requires
special software to view the information, how much are you missing if you
don't have the software?
-
Can you fill out request forms or surveys online and easily transmit the information
back to the site?
-
Do you need to be a registered user even on a free site? Some businesses provide free
information but do not want large numbers of casual surfers, instead preferring a smaller
number of serious, repeat users.
Top
|
