Internet Evaluation: Why and How

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Internet Evaluation Why and How

• LIB 120
• Amanda Izenstark

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Why bother?

• ANYONE can create a web page, even people who
  dont know what theyre talking about.
  
• If you want to make your site look even more
  legitimate, it only costs a few dollars to
  register your own domain. (lib120.com, anyone?)

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Why bother?

• There is no editorial or peer-review process on
  the web!
  
• That means that no one says HEY! Thats not
  true! You cant publish that!
  
• So I can make a site that contains nothing but
  lies, and theres no one to stop me

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Books

• Most of the time, when you find material in a
  book, you can be assured that it has been checked
  for accuracy and credibility.
  
• You might run across a book thats been
  self-published, and occasionally books contain
  errors, but that wont be often

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Magazines, Journals, and Databases

• These, too, have editors that review and check
  the facts.
  
• You do need to look for bias in magazines, but
  journals are primarily objective.

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Editors and Publishers

• Editors and publishers, when they publish
  something, also put their names on the material.
  
• Theyre not likely to take a risk publishing
  something they dont want to be associated with
  in the long run.

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Then why use the web at all?

• Its a place to find interesting information that
  may not be published anywhere else
  
• Song lyrics
• Someones personal CD collection
• Fiction by unsigned writers
• Diaries
• Weblogs, AKA blogs

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Web Evaluation Criteria

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• How
• Sound familiar?

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Who?

• Who is the author of the site?
• Is he/she/they easily identifiable?
• Is there contact information for the author?
• Is the author an authority on the topic? How can
  you tell?
  
• Does the site list qualifications or publications
  by the same author?

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Who?

• Is the author associated with a business,
  organization, institution, or the government?
  
• Who is the intended audience for the site?

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What?

• What is the purpose of the site? To inform? To
  entertain? To persuade? To sell?
  
• What kind of site is it? Is it scholarly or
  popular?
  
• Whats on the page? Ads? Links to reputable
  resources? Flashing .gifs?

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What?

• What is on other pages of the site? Follow some
  of the links to see what else is there.
  
• Do the other pages relate to what youre looking
  for, or are they covering different topics
  entirely?

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When?

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Where?

• Where is the site hosted? Is it a site youve
  heard of before?
  
• What is the domain? .com? .org? .net? .gov?
• Is it a site from a foreign country? .ca? .uk?
  .au?
  
• Does it make a difference if it is?

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Why?

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How?

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How?

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Beware of

• Sites without an author
• Unless theyre .gov sites or from a very
  reputable organization, such as the American
  Heart Association.
  
• Sites that are just lists of links to other
  pages
  
• These are not good sources -- try to find pages
  with actual information on them.
  
• Using these is like using someones bibliography
  on its own.