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INTERNET TUTORIAL from the Ohlone Library

EVALUATING WEB SITES FOR QUALITY AND RELIABILITY

Why Evaluate Web Sites?

Whenever you are doing research, an integral part of the job is to think critically about the information that you find, whether in the form of books, journal articles, news sources, personal interviews, or other media. The task is to evaluate the sources you are planning to use to determine that they are reliable and usable for your research needs. Although always important, this task is particularly critical in the case of Internet sources. Why? 

Some of the reasons have to do with the nature of the Internet: 

  • The materials found on the Internet are not selected as in a library collection;
  • No standards or guidelines exist for inclusion on Internet. Organizations such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Internet Society, the Internet Engineering Task Force, and the Internet Architecture Board worry about web technical standards and protocols - but not standards as far as the quality or organization of content;
  • Overwhelmingly large search results mean you need to weed and select only the best;
  • The Internet is not all-inclusive or always the best source

One Example: AIDS Research on the Web Vs. in the Library

For example, consider the case of someone trying to find information about the disease AIDS. Suppose the researcher finds two articles, one from a traditional information source, a medical encyclopedia, and one from the Internet. Understanding the differences between these kinds of sources helps to demonstrate why it is especially important to evaluate Internet sources. Compared to a medical encyclopedia article, an article found on the Internet is likely to be different in a couple of important ways. 

First, the type of article is likely to be very different. Medical encyclopedias tend to contain factual, objective introductory information. Web sites, on the other hand, are very often advocacy sites,  taking a particular side of an issue and arguing for it. They may also be personal in nature, or commercial, selling a product. Of course, you may find a medical encyclopedia or other objective health site on the Internet, but other types of sites are more common. 

Second, and more importantly, the process for publication differs greatly between these two sources. In the case of the medical encyclopedia article, the researcher can make several assumptions. For one thing, that encyclopedia is part of the library collection because a librarian selected it, probably based upon the reputation of the publisher. The article is almost certainly written by an expert in the field, and the article has gone through a rigorous review and editing process before being published. In contrast, absolutely anyone can publish absolutely anything on the Internet. The Internet article you find on the Web about AIDS may be written by an expert in the field, or by an objective news reporter, but it may also be written by a middle school student, by someone deliberately practicing deception, or by anyone else. In most web searches, you are as likely to stumble on a site with inaccurate information as you are to stumble on a site with good, reliable information. In short, a whole different get of "givens" or assumptions apply to the two sources. This is why it falls to the researcher to be particularly careful and critical in evaluating information found on the Internet. 
 

How Can We Evaluate the Information We Find on the Internet?

This is really just a matter of keeping several criteria in mind and approaching material found with a critical eye. Some suggested criteria: 

 1) "Authority of the Source," in Other Words:

  • Can you tell who is providing the information?
  • Do you know the credentials or reputation of this person/organization, or
  • Can you find out more about them? Does the site facilitate this research?

Tip: You can determine a little bit of information about the type of site you are at, and perhaps its intent, from the domain name in its URL. Common domain name endings include: .com (for commercial sites) .org (for non-profit sites) .edu (for educational institutions) .mil (for military sites) .gov (for government sites) .net (for network sites) and other endings that denote a site comes from a particular country, such as .ca (for Canadian sites). Keep in mind that this type of "domain" information is only a starting point in your evaluation; for example, many types of individuals may be given access to publish on a university web site: faculty, researchers, students, staff - not necessarily expert researchers in the area they are discussing.

2) Verifiability of Information Provided

  • Does the site provide any backup for its data?
  • Does it cite its own sources?

3) Objectivity of the Source

  • Can you identify any implicit or explicit biases?
  • Are "both sides" of complex issues explored, or at least acknowledged?

4) Currency of Data

  • Is currency important for the type of research you are doing? (Are you researching the life of Lincoln (older sites okay), or current cyberspace laws (older sites potentially out-dated)
  • Is any "date of last update" provided by the site?


Practice: 
In your search for the answer to the question "Why is New York City called "The Big Apple" you find the following site. http://www.mcny.org/Research/answers.htm

The site provides an answer to your question, but how can you be sure the information is reliable? Consider the following issues (when you have thought about these questions, click here for our thoughts): 

1) Authority of source: Can you tell who is providing the information? Do you know the credentials or reputation of this person/organization, or can you find out more about them? Does the site facilitate this research? 

2) Verifiability of information provided: Does the site provide any backup for its data? Does it cite its own sources? 

3) Objectivity of the source: Can you identify any implicit or explicit biases? Are "both sides" of complex issues explored, or at least acknowledged? 

4) Currency of data: Is currency important for the type of research you are doing? Is any "date of last update" provided by the site? 
 
 

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