Evaluating Internet Information
Ask the following questions to evaluate sources of information found on the Internet:
Who is the author?
- Is it an author with academic qualifications, a journalist, or a non-specialist?
- Has the author been published in print?
- Is there evidence of editorial control?
- Is there any way to contact the author?
What organisation published the information?
- Is it from an academic institution published for the academic community?
- or is it from a news organisation reporting to the wider community?
- or from a government body or related organisation to assist policy makers?
- or has it been produced by an industry or commercial organisation?
- or has it been produced by alternative media?
- or is it a personal document reflecting only an individual's opinion?
- or has it been produced by a 'Front Group'?
When was the material published?
- When was the file last updated?
- Does it replicate or update an existing printed publication?
- Web sites can have the most up to date information, books tend to have information that is already more than a year old, journal articles fall within the two extremes.
Why was the material published?
- Does it report on new research?
- Does it review existing research?
- Is it a news item?
- Who is the intended audience? (does it use specialised language?)
- Does it contain advertising?
- Is it trying to persuade you to adopt a particular viewpoint?
- Can you see any bias evident? Some research may have been funded by
companies who have a vested interest in the outcome. This work is published
in journals funded by the industry.
How does the information compare with other information sources?
- To answer this question compare material in one source with material in another. See on what issues there is agreement or disagreement.
- The sources of factual information should also be listed so they can be compared with other sources. Scholarly publications list sources in a bibliography or footnotes.
- Can you find the sources of information to which the author refers ?