Internet-based Research The good…the bad…and the ugly…

How often do you get information from the Internet How often do you get information from the Internet? How much of it do you believe?

How reliable do you think Internet information is How reliable do you think Internet information is? How does it compare to information from books?

To spot a site useful for your research, look for seven key elements: Credibility Accuracy Relevance Source Citation Reliability Date Efficacy

Credibility Who is the author and/or sponsor of the site? Why should we believe them? What have they done that gives them the right to publish their ideas? Some sites may not have any authors listed before or after the article! Many websites have an “about” section that may list the authors Others may have a “contact information” page that lists the authors There may be an editor or a sponsoring organization given

Once we have an author, how do we know if they are credible? What is the author’s education level? Does he or she have a degree? From what school? In what subject? What is the author’s previous writing experience? How much does the author probably know about the topic or topics on which he or she is writing? Does he or she deal intimately with this subject in daily life, or only research it for the purpose of writing about it? Does the author have a neutral perspective on the site’s subject matter, or is he or she trying to promote a particular viewpoint?

Let’s practice together! Let’s look up a few sources together and decide how credible they are. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/ http://www.usability.gov/ http://www.chicagobooth.edu/capideas/spring03/raci albias.html

Reliability Does the source present a particular view or bias? Does the author use any logical fallacies? What information is the author manipulating, stretching, omitting, or stressing?

BIAS Be aware that some organizations and their websites are trying to persuade you! These are biased sources of information… Bias: prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Accuracy Can facts statistics or other information be verified through other resources? Do you find any discrepancies between information you find on one site and the “same” info that you find on another site? If you do, this should be a major red flag! Do MORE research and figure out which is correct!

Relevance Does the information actually help you answer your research question? Is the information on topic? If you find that the info on the site just doesn’t help you answer your research question, then just let it go…

Date/Timeliness When was the cite created? When was it revised? Ideally the publishing date will be listed at the top of the article, at the bottom of the page, or in the article summary (for journal articles from databases). While a site that lacks a publication date is not NECESSARILY inaccurate, a posting date for the article shows that the author or editor of the site is organized and deliberate about its information

Source Citation Does the author use many reliable, credible sources and links? Does the author provide a list of the sources s/he used to write the article? Are you given enough information to locate those sources that were used??

Efficacy In the information worth the effort? Is the site well organized and free of distracting graphics or advertisements? Does the site make sense? Is it professional and functional? If NOT, find a better website – and maybe even leave a comment explaining what you think about the site!

Now it’s your turn! Use the “Rubric for evaluating websites” to evaluate the credibility of one source. Grade your website on each of the seven key elements of a credible website. Remember to explain if the website is valid overall in the box at the bottom of the rubric.