Evaluating Web Research

1
Evaluating Web Research
2001 Fall Faculty Workshop
Pam Gades Computing Services University of
Minnesota, Morris
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Your students have made substantial use of
sources from the Internet in writing their
papers.

• How do you determine if the students sources are
  accurate, reliable, and trustworthy?
• What are some guidelines you can use?
• How can you communicate to the students that it
  is important to evaluate Internet resources?

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It is Important to. . .

• Recognize the characteristics of quality in
• information.
• Further evaluate such information within its
• context and then verify it.

4
Verify the quality of a Web site using these five
criteria

• Authority
• Coverage
• Currency
• Accuracy
• Objectivity

5
Authority

• Who publishes this web page?
• What makes them an authority on this subject?
• Do they cite their experience/credentials?
• Are they accredited or endorsed by a reputable
  organization?
• If they give their educational background, are
  the educational institutions accredited?

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Authority . . .

• Does the article contain footnotes?
• Does material copied from other sources appear to
  be fully credited?

7
Authority . . .
Good Example This page on Emily Dickinson has
an author, contact information and institutional
affiliation. http//www.cwru.edu/affil/edi
s/edisindex.html
Questionable Example This page about raising
puppies provides no indication of who wrote the
page. (Except for a cryptic Wantanbe at the foot
of the page.) http//www.geocities.com/Yos
emite/5000/tips.html
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Coverage

• Is it a comprehensive resource?
• What time period is covered?
• Is it clear what topics the page intends to
  address?
• Has something significant been left out?
• Who is the intended audience?

9
Coverage . . .
Good Example The Nine Planets A multimedia
guide http//seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nine
planets/nineplanets.html
Questionable Example Matthews Solar
System http//www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Camp
us/6748/
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Currency

• What is the date on the web page?
• How frequently is it updated?
• Is some of the information obviously out of date?
• Is this the most recent version?
• If there are links to other Web pages, are they
  current?

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Currency. . .
Good Example Cable News Network (CNN) online.
http//www.cnn.com
Questionable Example Were all guinea pigs.
No publication date, no indication of when it was
last updated. http//www.webcom.com/pinknoiz/co
ldwar/humantest.html
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Accuracy

• Is the page part of an edited or peer-reviewed
  publication?
• Can factual information be verified through
  footnotes or bibliographies to other credible
  sources?
• Based on what you already know about the subject,
  does this information seem credible?

13
Accuracy . . .
Good Example A page providing Holocaust
information and resources from a variety of
sources and organizations. http//www.socialstudi
es.com/c/_at_EOW_f3bSqI81w/Pages/holo.html
Questionable Example This is a page promoting
Holocaust Denial written by a professor of
Electrical and Computer Engineering. http//pubweb
.acns.nwu.edu/abutz/
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Objectivity

• Does the page display a particular bias or
  perspective?
• If the page contains advertising, are the ads
  clearly distinguishable from the content?
• Is any conflict of interest discernable between
  content and advertising?

15
Objectivity . . .
Good Example The American Cancer Society
clearly states the goal in providing the
information and does not appear to have a bias
for the type of information provided. http//www.c
ancer.org/
Questionable Example This page provides an
article about Attention Deficit Disorder with
recommended nutritional treatments, however the
author of the page is linked to a company that
sells nutritional supplements. http//www.all-natu
ral.com/add.html
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Teaching Your Students How to Evaluate Web
Resources
Better Read That Again Web Hoaxes and
Misinformation by Paul S. Piper, Librarian,
Western Washington University A terrific article
that includes links to many Web sites for you to
use as examples in your classroom. http//www.info
today.com/searcher/sep00/piper.htm Additional
information for your classroom use is included
in your handout.
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Acknowledgements

• Briggs Library -- University of Minnesota, Morris
  (Briggs Library User Guides)
• Jean Charles Schulz Information Center --
  Sonoma State University (libweb)
• Kathy Schrocks Educators Guides --
  DiscoverySchool.com
• Wolfgram Memorial Library -- Widener University
  (webevaluation)

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If we strive to teach students the best way to
critically evaluate the information that they
find in relation to the purpose at hand, we will
produce a generation of digitally literate adults
who are equipped to learn throughout their
lifetimes. -- Kathy Schrock
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Evaluating Web Research
2001 Fall Faculty Workshop
Pam Gades Computing Services University of
Minnesota, Morris