Library Instruction: Evaluating Internet Information

Authority

• Is the page signed?
• Are the author's qualifications available?
• Does s/he have expertise in this subject?
• Is the author associated with an educational institution or other reputable organization?
• Does the publisher or publication have a reputation for reliability?
• Is contact information for the author or group available on the site?

• It's often hard to determine a web page's authorship.
• Unlike traditional print resources, Web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers.
• There are no standards for information on the web which would ensure that all information there is accurate and useful.
• People create web pages for different reasons:
  • Personal
  • Advocacy
  • Commercial/Marketing
  • Informational

• Look at the top and bottom of the web page for clues.
• Use the WHOis service to determine the page's owner.
• Is there a link to a main web site for the group/educational institution/ organization hosting this web page?
• Does the author or host have a web page explaining who they are and what their mission or philosophy is?
• Ask a Librarian if information about the publisher is available

Coverage

• Is the information even relevant to your topic?
• Do you think it is useful to you?
• Does this page have information that is not found elsewhere?
• How in-depth is the material?

• Web coverage often differs from print/ scholarly coverage.
• Frequently it's difficult to determine the extent of coverage.
• Sometimes web information is just-for-fun or outright silliness.

• Read through/scan the web page and consider.
• Ask a Librarian if the information you have found can be verified elsewhere.

Objectivity

• Does the information show a minimum of bias?
• Is the page a presentation of facts and not designed to sway opinion?
• Is the page free of advertisements or sponsored links?

• Frequently the goals of the sponsors/authors aren't clearly stated.
• Often the web serves as a virtual soapbox where people express their opinions.
• The content of the page may be influenced by the advertiser.

• Read through/scan the web page and consider.
• Does the author or host have a web page explaining who they are and what their mission or philosophy is?
• See what other websites link to the site in question. Google's link searches is one method.
• Ask a Librarian if information about the author/ company/ organization is available.

Accuracy

• Is the information reliable and error-free?
• Can you find when was the last update?
• Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?
• Is the page free of spelling mistakes or other obvious problems?

• Anyone can publish anythingon the Web.
• Unlike traditional print/scholarly resources, Web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers.
• Currently, no Web standards exist to ensure accuracy.

• Read through/scan the Web page and consider.
• Confirm the information/data with other sources.
• Ask a Librarian if the information you have found can be verified elsewhere.

Currency

• Is the page dated?
• Can you find when was the last update?
• Are the links current and do they point to existing pages?

• Publication or revision dates are not always provided.
• Pages with broken links may not be updated regularly.
• If a date is provided, it may have various meanings. For example it may indicate when the material:
  • was first written
  • was first placed on the Web
  • was last updated

• Read through and scan the text to see if the author attributes information/facts to a particular year. e.g. "in 1997, 35 car accidents were caused by chickens crossing the road."
• Scan through the bibliography or list of references (be concerned if there isn't one!) and see how current each item is. e.g. Cool, Joe. (1975) "Current flying practices." Canine Aviation 32(3):23-40.
• Look at the footer to see if the author has included a date.