Evaluating Internet Resource Information

1
Evaluating Internet Resource Information

• The central work of life is interpretation.
• --Proverb

2
Discussion Overview

• What is different about information on the
  internet versus traditional resource material?
• What can be found on the World Wide Web?
• Evaluation techniques - CARS
• 3 central concerns author, source, content
• Different types of Web Pages found
• Common problems and solutions

3
What is different about Internet information?

• Anyone can print anything on the World Wide Web.
• Unlike traditional resources, there is no one to
  review material, edit material, or rebuke
  erroneous information.
• Search engines cannot differentiate between a
  reputable source and an expert wannabe. All web
  sites, good and bad, will be retrieved equally.

4
What can be found on the Web?

• ANYTHING!!
• Facts - useful information if they are from a
  reputable source.
• Opinions - personal views of a subject. These may
  be useful, but use caution.
• Stories - may or may not contain facts -be VERY
  careful.
• Interpretations - again, personal views - be
  careful.

5

• Statistics - can be useful information if the
  source is reliable and the stats have been
  collected and analysed correctly.
• Advertising - many sites are infomercials
  designed to sell the reader on a product, a
  company, or even an idea - use extreme caution!

6
Review of Traditional Evaluation Techniques -CARS

• CARS Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness,
  Support
• Checklist that can discriminate high quality
  information from low quality information.
• The more criterion the resource meets, the more
  likely that it is a high quality piece of
  information.

7
Credibility

• How credible is the author, the content, the
  source in general?
• Look for sources that include authors name,
  title, organizational affiliation, and contact
  information.
• Do you recognize the authors name from other
  sources - if not, try to find the name in other
  resource material.

8
Positive Signs of Credibility

• Resource is found on an organizations web site.
• Material is in an on-line journal that is peer
  reviewed.
• Material is taken from quality controlled books
  or magazines.

9

• Author is well reputed in his/her field, and
  highly reviewed by peers.
• Publisher has editors and fact checkers on staff.

10
Negative Signs of Credibility

• No author stated.
• No obvious signs of peer reviewing.
• Poor reviews of author, material, or web site.
• Material is grammatically poor.
• No indication of publisher responsibility.
• Bias in the material - someone is trying to sell
  you something!

11
Accuracy

• Is the information true, up-to-date, sufficiently
  detailed, and comprehensive?
• Important dates to look for
• -date first created
• -date placed on web
• -date last revised
• Browsers can show creation and modification
  dates eg. Netscape - view/document info

12

• Be critical of the purpose of the material.
  Articles that contain a hidden bias to persuade
  the reader in a certain direction are the most
  common kind of information found on the web.

13

• Make sure the material has been covered
  completely - sometimes on-line material has been
  edited from the printed version.
• Make sure the information has been kept
  up-to-date.

14
Positive Signs of Accuracy

• Material has been recently or continually
  revised.
• Material is from a reputable publisher and
  author.
• Dates are clearly and completely displayed.
• Information is complete and un-bias.
• Goals of material clearly stated.

15
Negative Signs of Accuracy

• Material has no date appearing on it, or an old
  date on material that changes rapidly.
• Material is vague or general.
• Material is bias or one-sided.
• Errors are found in the information presented.

16
Reasonableness

• Is the information presented fairly?
• Are the arguments reasonable?
• Is the information consistent?
• Is the information at a suitable level for the
  intended use? (is it intended for children, high
  school, university, or professionals)

17
Positive Signs of Reasonability

• Material is presented in a concise and effective
  manner.
• All aspects of the subject are covered
  objectively and clearly.
• Material is written without bias.
• Material is believable and makes sense.
• Information is consistent throughout presentation.

18
Negative Signs of Reasonability

• Material has an emotional undertone.
• Information seems exaggerated to get a point
  across.
• Material conflicts with common sense or is
  unbelievable. (This is not to say that seemingly
  unbelievable information is never fact, but it
  needs to checked out carefully before accepted.)

19
Support

• Is the material supported by citations from other
  sources?
• Are the other sources valid and dependable?
• Is a bibliography or reference section included?
• Can the material be backed up by other resource
  materials?

20
Positive Signs of Support

• Material is backed up with references and
  citations from credible sources.
• Author gives contact information.
• Links are relevant and credible.
• Additional information links are provided.

21
Negative signs of Support

• Material has no references to back up
  information.
• External collaboration is difficult or impossible
  to find.
• Author or publisher does not provide contact
  information.
• Other internet sources fail to back up the
  material.

22
Author, Content, Source

• 3 most important things to examine when
  evaluating information
• Author - Reputable? Well-known? Dependable?
  Professional? Backed by a well-known
  organization?
• Content - Accurate? Up-to-date? Objective?
  Comprehensive? Complete? Verifiable?
• Source - Respectable? Reachable? Well-known?
  Easily accessed? Professional?

23
5 Types of Web Pages

• Personal
• Informational
• News
• Advocacy
• Business/Marketing

24
Personal Web Pages

• Published by any individual, private or
  professional.
• URL will normally contain a tilde () somewhere
  in the address.

25
Evaluating Personal Web Pages

• Are the authors qualifications stated?
• Can you verify information about the author?
• Is there a reference section or bibliography?
• Is the material grammatically well-written?
• Is the material up-to-date? (last revised when?)
• Is the information complete and objective?

26
Informational Web Pages

• Purpose is strictly to present facts.
• Usually sponsored by educational institutions
  (URL ends with .edu) or government agencies (URL
  ends with .gov).
• May be a presentation of research, topical
  coverage, dictionary, event schedule, or
  transportation schedule.

27
Evaluating Informational Web Pages

• Who is the author?
• Is there information about the sponsoring
  institution?
• Does the sponsor have direct contact information?
• Is the page a public service?

28

• Is there any advertising in the material?
• Is the material up-to-date?
• Is there a print version, and is the on-line
  version complete or edited?

29
News Web Pages

• Provide on-going, current information, such as
  MacLeans, CNN, or Time.
• URL normally ends in .com.

30
Evaluating News Web Pages

• Can you verify the legitimacy of the company?
• Is there a contact address?
• Is the information verifiable with other sources?
• Is it clear what is advertising and what is not?
• Are editorial and opinions pieces clearly
  labeled?
• Is the material clearly dated?

31
Advocacy Web Pages

• Sponsored by an organization that is attempting
  to influence public opinion, such as political
  parties, religious organizations, or the NRA.
• URL will normally end in .org.

32
Evaluating Advocacy Web Pages

• Is it clear what organization is behind the
  material?
• Is there a link to the organization?
• Is there stated approval from the organization?
• Is the information verifiable?

33

• Is the material well-written?
• Is any advertising clearly labeled?
• Is the information up-to-date?

34
Business/Marketing Web Pages

• Sponsored by a commercial company, normally with
  the purpose of selling their products, such as
  PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, or Microsoft.
• URL usually ends with .com.

35
Evaluating Business/Marketing Pages

• Is the company clearly stated?
• Is there a link to the sponsoring company?
• Can the legitimacy of the company be verified?
• Is approval by the company for the material
  clearly stated?
• Can you tell the advertising from the factual
  information?
• Is the information up-to-date?

36
Common Problems With Web Resources

• And Some Solution Strategies

37
Problem Hypertext Links

• Links may be of a poorer quality than the
  original page.
• Each link must be evaluated individually, with
  the same guidelines and checklists as used for
  the original.

38
Problem Frames

• Each frame displays a separate web page.
• Each frame must be evaluated individually, using
  the same guidelines and checklists as used for
  the original.

39
Problem Search Engines

• Cannot differentiate one web page from another.
• Can retrieve web pages out of context.
• Can retrieve irrelevant information.
• Always attempt to get back to a homepage in order
  to determine the original source of the
  information.

40
Problem Marketing Overload

• Many web pages are geared toward some kind of
  marketing.
• Many are high tech infomercials where useful
  information is tangled in among advertising and
  entertainment.

41

• Determine whether the information and the
  advertising are by the same source - if they are,
  chances are that the web page is one big selling
  campaign.

42
Problem Access Limitations

• Full access to information may require specific
  software or payment of access fees.
• Limited information can be misleading.
• Determine whether the information is complete or
  whether the full version has limited access
  before examining the material in depth.

43
Problem Web Page Instability

• Browsers can alter web page design and format,
  putting information out of context.
• Pages may move or disappear without notice,
  leaving you unable to refer back to the
  reference.
• Web pages can be deliberately or accidentally
  altered.

44

• Always document the source as fully as possible,
  or print the material off so you have it to use
  as a reference later.
• Always include the date of retrieval as part of
  the reference.
• Attempt to verify the information by using
  external sources.

45
Conclusions

• The Internet is a valuable and necessary part of
  research in todays high tech world.
• Because technology advances so quickly, standards
  and review boards cannot keep up.
• It is up to the individual (YOU) to evaluate the
  material being read.
• Familiarizing yourself with these guidelines will
  help you decide whether the information is high
  quality or low quality.

46

• Always examine the author, content, and source.
• Remember CARS -credibility, accuracy,
  reasonableness, support.
• Decide what type of web page it is, which will
  help you decide how reliable the information is.

47

• PRACTICE! Go web surfing and evaluate the pages
  you find. What seems difficult at first will
  become easy with practice.
• For a list of web sites that are useful examples,
  go to http//www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-L
  ibrary/examples.htm

48
Credits

• The information for this presentation was adapted
  from the following sources
• http//www.sccu.edu/faculty/R_Harris/evalu8it.htm
• http//www.vuw.ac.nz/agsmith/evaln/index.htm
• http//www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/inst
  ruct/web/critical.htm
• http//www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/
  webeval/eval1198/index.htm
• http//www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/
  perspg.htm