Evaluating Internet Sources
“The Web is an electronic repository for books, data collections, encyclopedias, libraries, and any disparate piece of text, graphic, or sound byte that someone chose to put on-line. And some of it is inaccurate, biased, out-of-date, shallow, and inappropriate for academic use.” Lida Larsen–Information Literacy.
Ask These Questions
Authority
Who is the author of the page? Can you identify their qualifications for providing this information?
Accuracy
Are the sources of factual information easy to verify? Is the information itself verifiable from another source?
Objectivity
Are there biases of opinion in the material, and are they clearly stated?
Currency
Are there dates on the page that indicate when the page was written? Are there some indications that the information is kept current or has the page been abandoned?
Coverage
How complete is the information on the page? Is the treatment superficial and broad, or in-depth? Are there links to other information sources from this page?
Other Considerations
Permanence–is the information likely to STAY up for a reasonable amount of time?
Purpose–is the information there to serve as a vehicle for advertisements?
Origin–is the page from an educational institution, the government, or a non-profit organization?
