Evaluating Information Today I’m going to be talking about evaluating the information in the simple web searches you’ll use to get started with your research projects, but what we’re talking about today applies to the sources we’ll be using for the rest of the quarter. Not only that, but these skills are important for any research you do in school or for your personal or work life, which is why we’re going to practice this all quarter in this class. Evaluation means judging whether something is any good. What’s a good website? One that you like? Why? What is it good for? - Myspace, Facebook are good for socializing - Google is good for searching - so whether it’s good depends on what you are doing Is there information on the web that is good for academic research? (yes.) We’re going to talk about how to make the process of finding it a little less like throwing darts at a wall. Photo: iDream_in_Infrared

We usually think about academic information being in books and in libraries. (In this picture, the books are the library.) But there is information on the web that you can use for your research projects. Why is this relevant to a library class? – the web is a research resource. Look around the library, it’s filled with computers connected to the internet. The library is on the internet, the internet is in the library. Like we discussed, one thing that the web is really good for is a quick and dirty background search on a topic. You can use Wikipedia and Google to get a sense of whether there’s a lot or a little information out there, whether it’s a controversial subject, find some key terms and definitions, etc. Photo: flickr.com creative commons

But! Proceed with caution! Why is it particularly important to evaluate the information that you find on the web? Photo: Only Alice

Because anybody can put anything online Because anybody can put anything online. Don’t take information on the web at face value. Photo courtesy of Oliver Hammond

Criteria for Evaluating Websites: C A C A O Currency Authority Content Accuracy Objectivity CACAO (the plant that chocolate comes from). This is our handy tool for remembering the five criteria for evaluating information. I’m going to go over these. Like I said, we’re talking about web searches today, but this applies to any kind of information that you use for research. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Currency C – Currency. Can you tell when the website was last updated (may have to hunt around)? Is any information obviously out of date? How important is it for your information to be current? What kinds of information do you need to be current? Photo: Thorii Pablo

Authority A – Authority. Who put this information out there? What are their credentials? If it’s an organization, do you know anything about them? - Ex: why Wikipedia is not an authoritative source for school research. (Sometimes; ok to use it to get started, but if you want to cite it find a second source to back up their info.) Anybody can change the entries. George Bush’s entry is vandalized multiple times every minute. Click on image to go to wikipedia. Search for “Stem Cell” and show history and discussion pages.

Content C – Content. Who do you think the intended audience is? How much information is really on the site? Is there good coverage of the topic? Is it an overview of the topic or an in-depth treatment? What kind of information is presented – raw data, political analysis, news articles, time and geographic coverage? Is it relevant to your search? Is the writing clear and well organized? Photo: Wockerjabby

Accuracy A – Accuracy. Is there any way to check the accuracy of the information on the website? What are the sources for the information on this website? Can you tell? Is it peer reviewed (other scholars have evaluated the work)? Are there any clues in the site or address that suggest you should be skeptical of the information presented? This is at the bottom of the page on the genocide in Darfur put up by PBS – a reliable source. (They cite Wikipedia, but along with a lot of other sources). Look for this kind of thing.

Objectivity O – Objectivity. Does the information seem biased, and is that bias acknowledged? Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda? If the author is trying to convince you of something, are both sides of the story presented? Is there a corporate or organizational sponsor that may be influencing the information presented? What is the purpose of this website? Is it selling something, do you have to sign on with personal information? This is the trickiest one. Remember, information on the web may not be what it appears to be. You’ll be practicing evaluation in your homework.