Transcript Evaluating Web Resources

Evaluating Web
Resources
How to judge the authority
and accuracy of
information found on the
web.
Deluge of Web-Based
Information



Pros
Information is easily
available to be
downloaded and
manipulated.
Distance is no longer a
factor in the exchange
of this information.
More articles and data
are becoming available
electronically,
specifically library
resources.
Cons
 Not all information has
been reviewed or
filtered.
 Flood of information can
be overwhelming.
 It is more difficult to
choose the valid
sources.
 We do not rely on our
print resources, libraries
or librarians for
information retrieval.
Criteria for judging a site
Purpose
Accuracy
Authority
Scope
Presentation
Authoritywho created this site?
Affiliation - university, industry,
association, none
 Contact Information – email address
 Reputation
 Biographical Information/Credentials

Determining the Source
educational institution - .edu
 a non-profit organization - .org
 a company - .com
 the government - .gov
 the military - .mil
 foreign - .ca, .uk, .de

Smart Searching
Advanced Search on Google will allow
you to limit the domain name of the
results of your search.
 www.google.com click on advanced
search, then limit by domain
 For example: “only” from .edu or “don’t
use” .com

Purpose
Inform
 Entertain
 Advertise
 Provide Current Awareness
 Persuade

Scope
Is material current?
 Is their any kind of bias to the reporting
of this information?
 Is their a geographical limitation to the
information?
 Is the information historical?

Accuracy






Is there a bibliography or list of references on
the site?
Has the information been altered from its
original?
Does the author use objective reasoning?
Have you noticed any errors?
Can the information be confirmed?
Are the links to internal pages or pages within
this site?
Examples of Inaccuracy
Were there Dinosaurs on Noah’s
Ark?
http://pblcoc.org/Resources/Apologetics
/dinoark.htm
 VirusMyth AIDS Homepage
http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/index.htm
 Martin Luther King
http://www.martinlutherking.org

Presentation
Is the site easy to navigate?
 How is information organized?
 Are graphics used? Are they
necessary?
 How long does it take to load the page?

Overall Evaluation
Ask yourself if this site
is appropriate for
your research.
Sources

Evaluating Internet Resources: A checklist
http://www.infopeople.org/howto/bkmk/select.
html
 Five Criteria for Evaluating Webpages
http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/
webcrit.html
 UMNGL Web Searching Guide
http://www.unm.edu/~edserv/webevaluation.html