Living Online Module

Lesson 27 — Evaluating
Online Information

Computer Literacy BASICS

 Objectives

 Identify types of Internet resources.

 Identify criteria for evaluating electronic
information.
 Use assessment tools to evaluate electronic
information.
 Understand the rules of copyright.
 Cite Internet resources appropriately.

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 Vocabulary

 Copyright
 Currency
 Navigation
 Plagiarism
 Public domain

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 Evaluating Information from
the Internet

 The Internet is a tremendous source of

information.
 It is easy to find information on almost any
subject.
 But anyone can post information, so you need to
evaluate what you find on the Internet to
determine
– Whether it is true and accurate
– Whether it is reliable and current
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 Types of Internet Resources

Information resources on the Internet include

– Journals and journal articles
– Magazines and magazine articles
– Newspapers and newspaper articles
– E-mail
– Mailing lists
– Commercial sites
– Organizational sites
– Subject-based sites
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 Search Engines

 Search engine sites build a database of

information about Web sites.
 You can enter keywords and phrases to obtain
links to sites containing your search criteria.
 When using a search engine, you should know
– How it decides the order in which the hits are
presented
– How it finds its information
– How often it is updated
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 Sponsored Sites

 Even the most academic subjects result in

sponsored sites in your search results.
 Sponsored sites are sites that an advertiser
pays to have listed in the search results.
 They are unlikely to provide balanced and
impartial information.

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 Sponsored Sites

Sponsored sites are

usually identified
and are almost
always at the top of
a search results list.

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 Subject Directories

 Subject directories are organized by subject

categories.
– Each category has a collection of links to
Internet resources, and most links include a
description.
– The resources are arranged by subject and
displayed in menus.
 Subject experts handpick and evaluate the
Web sites included in a subject directory.
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 Subject Directories (cont.)

 Subject directories are easy to use and

provide a more guided approach than
keyword searches.
 They often produce higher-quality hits.
 Popular subject directories include
– Librarian’s Index at www.lii.org
– Encyclopedia Britannica at www.britannica.com
– Galaxy at www.galaxy.com
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 Mailing Lists
 Mailing lists provide you with information regularly
from other members of the list.
 Sometimes the postings are so numerous that they
are overwhelming.
 But if the mailing list is maintained by a reputable
organization, postings can provide new insights and
specific data you could not easily find elsewhere.
 Apply the same types of criteria you use to assess
other electronic information to determine the
usefulness, validity, and relevance of the information.
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 Criteria for Evaluating Resources

 Anyone who uses information from the Internet

must develop skills to evaluate what they find.
 Questions to ask when evaluating a site
include the following:
– Did the page take a long time to load?
– Are the graphics on the page related to the
site?
– Are the sections on the page labeled?
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 More Criteria for Evaluating
Resources
– Who wrote the information on this page?
– How can you communicate with the author?
– When was the page last updated?
– Are there appropriate links to other Web
pages?
– Is it easy to follow links?
– Can you tell what the page is about from its
title?

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 More Criteria for Evaluating
Resources (cont.)
– Is the information useful to you?
– How old is the information?
– Does any of the information contradict
information you found someplace else?
– Did the author use words like always, never,
best, worst?
– Do you think the author knows the
information he or she is sharing?
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 Determining Authorship

 Well-developed resources identify the author of the

information.
 Check the background and expertise of the author
to determine whether he or she is qualified in the
subject area.
 Look for the name or e-mail address of the author
so that you can contact him/her if necessary.
 If the site has insufficient data about the author,
use a search engine to find more information.
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 Determining Authorship (cont.)

 Sometimes the domain can inform you of the

pertinence of the site. Examples include
– .edu for educational or research information
– .gov for government resources
– .com for commercially sponsored sites
– .org for nonprofit organizations
– .mil for military branches

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 Relevance and Reliability

Ask yourself whether the information on the site

meets the needs of your research:
 Is the purpose of this Web site stated?
 Is the information accurate and covered in depth?
 Has the information been reviewed?
 Does the information come from a source that can
be trusted?

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 Relevance and Reliability (cont.)

 The source of information should be clearly

stated, whether it is original or borrowed.
 The layout of the page is important, also. It
should not be distracting or filled with
irrelevant graphics.
 Spelling and grammar errors may be warning
signs that the information is not completely
reliable.
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 Validity and Bias

 Determine whether the site is trying to sell a

product or agenda or whether it is impartial
with no ulterior motive in presenting the
information.
 Determine whether the content covers a
specific time period or an aspect of a topic or
whether it is more broad.
 Check the information against other resources
to verify the validity of the site.
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 Validity and Bias (cont.)

 If the writing in a site is opinionated and

subjective, you may want to give second
thought to using it.
 Ideas and opinions supported by references
are positive indications of the value of the
site.

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 Dating Your Data

 Assess the currency of the Web site, which

refers to the age of its information.
 The site should state when it was last updated.
– Medical and technological data change more
rapidly than historical facts and figures, for
example, and could provide outdated information
if it has not been updated recently.
– Dead links—links that no longer work—may mean
that the information on the site is not up to date.

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 Navigating the Site

 Navigation is the ability to move through a site.

 A site that is laid out in a logical and orderly
format makes it easier to use and more
effective.
 Links on a Web site should be easy to identify,
grouped logically, and pertinent to the subject.

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 Navigating the Site (cont.)

 Determine whether the links stay within the

site or go to other sites to assess the
objectivity of the information on the site.
 Each page should have a link back to the
home page and a link to e-mail the author.
 Does the site itself contain useful information
or only links to other sites with information?

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 Assessment Tools:
The Internet Detective

 The Internet Detective is an online tutorial for

evaluating the quality of any information you
find online.
 It gives specific information regarding the
evaluation of electronic resources.
 Visit the Internet Detective at

www.sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html

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 Assessment Tools: Survey Form

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 Copyright Rules

 It is easy to copy information from a Web

site, but it may be illegal to do so.
 Internet sites and publications have the same
legal protection as books, newspapers,
movies, and so forth.
 A copyright is the exclusive right for some
period of time to make and dispose of literary
and artistic work.
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 Copyright Rules (cont.)

 You may need permission from the site author to

use any information found on that site or else
you may violate copyright law.
– Most sites include a copyright notice you should
read and follow.
 Information on which the copyright has lapsed is
considered in the public domain and can be
used without permission, but you still must give
proper credit to the source.
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 Citing Internet Sources

 Any Internet resource used in a report or

document must be cited.
 If you do not credit a source, then you are
claiming someone else’s words or ideas as
your own, which is plagiarism.
 You must give credit to any information you
use in a paper or publication that is not your
original thought.
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 Citing Internet Sources (cont.)

 In addition to giving credit where it is due,

citing the resource in your document also
makes it easy to find again if needed and
provides the reader with additional sources.
 Guidelines, such as the MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers and The
Chicago Manual of Style, explain how to cite
electronic sources in papers and reports.

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 Summary

 There are various types of Internet resources

including electronic journals, magazines,
newspapers, Web sites, and e-mail messages.
 Search engines, subject directories, and
mailing list postings each present different
requirements for evaluation, but information
from any electronic source should be assessed
before depending on its validity and reliability.

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 Summary (cont.)

 The criteria for evaluating Internet resources

include authorship, content, appearance,
ease of use, date, copyright information,
objectivity, and quality control.
 Internet publications and Web site content
can claim the same legal protection as
books, newspapers, CDs, movies, and other
forms that are protected by copyright law.

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 Summary (cont.)

 It is important to cite any information that you

use from the Internet. The MLA style is
widely used for citing electronic resources.

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