Transcript What`s Good on the Web…

What’s Good on the
Web
and What Isn’t
How to Tell
Anna Pilston and Matt Fisher
The Web is great because…
…anyone can publish anything they want to on it. This is also a
HUGE problem. There’s plenty of great information out
there, but it’s surrounded by tons of useless junk.
When you’re using a print resource, much of the evaluation has
been done for you, by the publishers and editors, and
sometimes by reviewers or librarians. On the Web, you’re on
your own.
So, how do you decide if a Web page is worth using?
There Are 5 Ways to
Evaluate a Web Resource
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Currency
Relevance
Accuracy
Authority
Subjectivity/Bias
Let’s look at each one…
Is the Web page current?
When you’re using a print resource, the copyright date tells you when
it was published.
Does the Web page have a date on it? What does that date mean? It
might tell you when the information was gathered, when the page
was originally published, or when it was last updated.
If the information is too old, it might not be useful any more. This is
especially true in the sciences, where new research is being
published every day.
Things to look for:
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When was the page produced?
Are there any dead links on the page?
Is the information on the page outdated?
Is the information updated regularly?
Is the Web page current?
Let’s say you’re doing a paper about the effectiveness of St. John’s
Wort in treating depression.
Go to http://www.drkoop.com/news/focus/feb/st_johns.html
Look at the page and think about these questions before continuing.
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Is there a date listed on this page?
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What does the date mean?
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Would you use this in your paper?
Is this Web page current?
Let’s say you’re doing a paper about the effectiveness of St. John’s
Wort in treating depression.
Go to http://www.drkoop.com/news/focus/feb/st_johns.html
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Is there a date listed on this page?
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What does the date mean?
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Yes! At the bottom the article, it says, “Feb. 15, 1999.”
This is the date that the article was both published and
reviewed.
Would you use this in your paper?
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Well, you could, but you should probably look for some even
newer resources to make sure that the information hasn’t
changed in the last two years.
Is this Web page relevant?
Regardless of the type of resource you’re using, you always have to
decide whether or not the information is relevant to your topic.
Before you start your research, think about what types of resources
you are looking for. What information do you need? Are you
looking for facts or opinions? What types of resources does your
professor want you to use?
Things to look for:
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What topics does the page cover?
How in-depth is the information?
Is this information useful to you?
Is this Web page relevant?
You’re still doing a paper about the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort in
treating depression.
Go to http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/?ID=1131
Look at the page and think about these questions before continuing.
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Is the information relevant to your topic?
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Does this page have in-depth coverage of your topic?
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Would you use this resource in your paper?
Is this Web page relevant?
You’re still doing a paper about the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort in
treating depression.
Go to http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/?ID=1131
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Is the information relevant to your topic?
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Does this page have in-depth coverage of your topic?
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Yes! It describes a research study that says that St. John’s
Wort is NOT effective in treating depression.
No. It isn’t very long, and only covers one particular study.
Would you use this resource in your paper?
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Yes, but you should verify this information and look for more
sources.
Is this Web page accurate?
One of the problems with the Web is that anyone can publish anything
they want to. How can you tell if their information is correct? Some
pages have been reviewed or edited by authorities in the field, but
it’s always a good idea to check the facts on the page using
another, reliable source. You can use library sources to check on
the author, verify the facts, or to see if a paper was ever published,
and where.
Things to look for:
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Are there many spelling or grammatical errors?
Is the author listed, and is there any contact information for him?
Is there a bibliography?
Has the document been reviewed by someone with reliable
credentials?
How does this information compare with other sources on this
topic?
Is this Web page accurate?
You’re still doing a paper about the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort in
treating depression.
Go to http://www.kcweb.com/herb/stjohn.htm
Look at the page and think about these questions before continuing.
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Can the author or sponsoring organization be contacted?
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Is there a bibliography?
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Would you use this resource in your paper?
Is this Web page accurate?
You’re still doing a paper about the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort in
treating depression.
Go to http://www.kcweb.com/herb/stjohn.htm
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Can the author or sponsoring organization be contacted?
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Is there a bibliography?
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No author is listed, but there is an email link in the left
margin.
No. There is no way to know where the author got his
information.
Would you use this resource in your paper?
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You probably shouldn’t. There’s no author, no bibliography,
no date, and, if you look, you’ll see that the Web site is run by
a store. You could find more reliable information in a
scientific encyclopedia.
What is this page’s authority?
Even if you have the author’s name, how do you know who he is and
what his credentials are? Is he an expert in this area? As you
become more familiar with a topic, you may begin to recognize
certain names that appear over and over again.
If you can’t find the author’s credentials, look at the sponsoring
organization. A page about black holes that’s hosted on the NASA
server could be legitimate, even if the author or his credentials
aren’t listed. But if that same page is hosted on a personal server,
or a server for a rock band, the you should question who the author
is and how much he really knows about the subject.
You should always try to verify the author’s or the organization’s
reputation using other sources, such as Who’s Who. You could
also look for other articles by the author using the databases or
indexes at your library.
What is this page’s authority?
Things to look for:
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What makes this author an expert? What is his background?
Can you contact the author for more information?
What organization is hosting this page?
What is this page’s authority?
You’re still doing a paper about the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort in
treating depression. Go to
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/stjohn.ht
ml
Look at the page and think about these questions before continuing.
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Can you contact the author?
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Are the author’s credentials listed on the page?
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Is the page supported or hosted by a reliable organization?
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Would you use this resource in your paper?
What is this page’s authority?
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Can you contact the author?
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Are the author’s credentials listed on the page?
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Same as above.
Is the page supported or hosted by a reliable organization?
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Not from this page, but there is information on a biography
page that you can get to from Quackwatch’s main page.
Maybe. There is information about Quackwatch available
from the main page, but you’ll have to read it and make the
decision about its reliability yourself.
Would you use this resource in your paper?
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Sure. Even if it’s difficult to find out about the author, the
information is available elsewhere on the site, and the article
does have a good list of references, so you can verify the
information. Just don’t use it as your only resource.
Is this Web page objective?
Objectivity or bias can be the most difficult aspect of a page to identify.
Some Web pages express a particular point of view, and can be
very one-sided, or subjective. Pages with only one point of view
can still be useful, but you need to be aware that the information is
biased so that your own research is balanced. Otherwise, the
author could influence your writing without you realizing it.
Things to look for:
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Is the page advertising something?
Does this author express any opinions about the topic?
For whom was this page written? What is its purpose?
Does the page reflect a variety of viewpoints, or only one?
Is this Web page objective?
Let’s say you’re doing a paper on the uses of Ritalin.
Go to http://209.180.175.75/becalmd/ritalin.htm
Look at the page and think about these questions before continuing.
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Does this article provide balanced coverage of this issue?
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Does the sponsor of this page have an objective interest here?
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Would you use this resource in your paper?
Is this Web page objective?
Let’s say you’re doing a paper on the uses of Ritalin.
Go to http://209.180.175.75/becalmd/ritalin.htm
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Does this article provide balanced coverage of this issue?
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Does the sponsor of this page have an objective interest here?
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Certainly not! The author (whoever he is) is very definitely
against the use of Ritalin.
Yes. If you look at the bottom of the page, there is a link that
leads to a store selling their alternative to Ritalin. They want
you to think that Ritalin is bad so you’ll buy their product.
Would you use this resource in your paper?
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No way! This might have been useful as an example of the
anti-Ritalin movement, but there is no author, no bibliography,
no publication date, and they’re trying to sell you something.
Let’s Review
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Currency
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Relevance
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Is the information correct?
Authority
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Is the information important to you?
Accuracy
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Is the information up-to-date?
How does the author know what he’s talking about?
Subjectivity/Bias
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Is the viewpoint of this page balanced?
Let’s Review
This may sound like a lot to think about, but it gets easier with
experience. Remember, not everything is available on the Web!
Don’t forget to use print resources, too, and ask your librarian if
you need help.
Now we’ll see if you can use some of this information. Try the
exercises on the worksheet and give them to Dr. Fisher when
you’re done.
These are the Web sites for the exercises:
A.
http://www.i2i.org/Publications/Op-Eds/HealthCare/ritalin.htm
B.
http://www.uhuh.com/education/ritpsych.htm
C.
http://www.drkoop.com/news/focus/september/ritalin_no.html
D.
http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/rit1383.htm
For more information on the evaluation of web resources, try these
articles and web pages:
Alexander, Jane and Marsha Tate. “Evaluating Web Sources.” Wolfgram
Memorial Library, Widener University. 2000.
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-MemorialLibrary/webevaluation/webeval.htm. (9 March 2001).
Locknar, Angie, et al. “Evaluating Information on the Web.” Carnegie Mellon
University Libraries. 2000. https://online.web.cmu.edu/00-100/. (6 January
2001).
Kapoun, Jim. “Teaching Undergrads WEB Evaluation: A Guide for Library
Instruction.” College & Research Libraries News. 2000.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/undwebev.html. (2 March 2001).
Rothenberg, David. “How the Web Destroys the Quality of Students’ Research
Papers.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. 15 Aug. 1997: A44+.