Information Literacy Tutorial

Evaluating Information

Online Catalogs, Library Databases, the World Wide Web, and Google have made it easy to search for and retrieve information.

The amount of information you find about any given topic will vary: sometimes there is too much and other times not enough.

You need to apply critical thinking skills to the searching process to identify the best information for your topic.

Consider the following factors as you find sources of information on your topic: credibility, currency, relevancy, and objectivity.

Video: Evaluating Web Sites Tutorial - From researchtutorials

This video offers specific advice about evaluating information published on websites.

Time: 6:19 minutes

Websites

Be cautious when using information from a website: anyone can easily publish false or misleading information.

Website domain names ending in ".edu" and ".gov" are generally more reliable information than those ending in:

• com
• net
• org

Websites are more credible if they include contact names & addresses for the creators or authors.

Spelling and grammar mistakes reflect poorly on the accuracy of the rest of the information.

Criteria for Evaluating Information

The following criteria and questions can serve as a helpful checklist when evaluating information retrieved from a variety of sources.

Credibility

Who are the author(s), editor(s), producer(s), and/or publisher(s)?

Was the information published in a peer-reviewed journal or by a scholarly press?

Are references or citations included so that the sources of quotations and facts can be verified?

Has this work been referenced or cited by any other sources?

Are statistics from verifiable and credible sources?

Currency

When was the information written, compiled, and/or published?

When was it last revised?

If this is a website, are all the links still working?

How current is any statistical information being cited?

Relevancy

What is the intended scope of the resource? General or specific?

Does the information and content seem appropriate for the intended audience: scholarly, popular, scientific, etc.?

How thorough and appropriate is the presentation?

Objectivity

What is the point of view of the authors?

Is this an editorial, review, or opinion piece

Are all points of view on the topic included and presented fairly?

Are there any obvious or potential sources of bias?

Is the information promoting the sale or purchase of a particular product or service?

Is the information provided as a public service?

Is the information free of advertising?

If there is advertising on the page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content.

Test Your Knowledge About Evaluating Information:

1. Which is NOT recommended for evaluating web pages among the following?
a) Author
b) Date/Currency
c) Color & format
d) Domain

2. Which statement about the Internet is FALSE?
a) The Internet makes the library unnecessary.
b) Not everything on the Internet comes from a reliable and trustworthy source.
c) The Internet is a wonderful tool for research and communication.
d) The Internet is not controlled by a single authority.

3. Which of the following domains are most trustworthy?
a) .com and .net
b) .edu and .org
c) .uk and .ca

4. Information found on the Internet should not be used for a research paper, since there is no reliable way to evaluate and verify accuracy.
a) True
b) False

1. C

2. A

3. B

4. B