Living Online Module Lesson 27 — Evaluating Online Information Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Objectives Identify types of Internet resources. Identify criteria for evaluating electronic information. Use assessment tools to evaluate electronic information. Understand the rules of copyright. Cite Internet resources appropriately. Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Vocabulary Copyright Currency Navigation Plagiarism Public domain Computer Literacy BASICS

Evaluating Information from the Internet The Internet is a best source of information. Anyone, anywhere can put anything on Internet! How do you determine the information is legitimate (Valid)? Whether it is true and accurate Whether it is reliable and current Computer Literacy BASICS

Types of Internet Resources Information resources on the Internet include Journals and journal articles Magazines and magazine articles Newspapers and newspaper articles E-mail Mailing lists Commercial sites Journal – a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Search Engines Search engine sites build a database of information about Web sites. Sponsored sites are sites that an advertiser pays to have listed in the search results. These sites do not give the accurate and reliable information. Computer Literacy BASICS

Sponsored Sites (an example) Sponsored sites are usually identified and are almost always at the top of a search results list. Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Subject Directories Subject directories are organized by subject categories. Each category has a collection of links to Internet resources, and most links include a description. Popular subject directories include Librarian’s Index at www.lii.org Encyclopedia Britannica at www.britannica.com Galaxy at www.galaxy.com Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS www.britannica.com Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS www.lii.org Computer Literacy BASICS

Criteria for Evaluating Resources Questions to ask when evaluating a site (web page) include the following: Did the page take a long time to load? How can you communicate with the author? When was the page last updated? Are there appropriate links to other Web pages? Is it easy to follow links? Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Is the information useful to you? How old is the information? Does any of the information contradict information you found someplace else? Computer Literacy BASICS

There are five aspects that help you in the evaluation process. Determining Authorship Well-developed resources identify the author of the information.(FAQ, about the site) Look for the name or e-mail address of the author.(contact/about us link) Computer Literacy BASICS

Relevance and Reliability Ask yourself whether the information on the site meets the needs of your research. Is the information accurate and covered in depth? Does the information come from a source that can be trusted? Spelling and grammar errors indicate information is not relevant. Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Validity and Bias The content is valid. The electronic information agrees with other sources; like books. The site is not inclined to a specific point of view. Information is objective---- it is trustworthy Information is subjective---- give a second thought to use it. Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Date of Data Assess the currency of the Web site, which refers to the age of its information. The site should state when it was last updated. Medical and technological data change more rapidly. - No dead links exist in the Web page. Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Navigating the Site Navigation is the ability to move through a site. The site contains navigations bar, site map, homepage links. Computer Literacy BASICS

Assessment Tools: The Internet Detective The Internet Detective is an online tutorial for evaluating the quality of any information you find online. It gives specific information regarding the evaluation of electronic resources. Visit the Internet Detective at www.sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Class Activity Visit website of your choice and comment on five electronic resource evaluation criteria. Computer Literacy BASICS

Assessment Tools: Survey Form Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Copyright Rules It is easy to copy information from a Web site, but it may be illegal to do so (without permission). Internet sites and publications have the same legal protection as books, newspapers, movies, and so forth. A copyright is the exclusive right for some period of time to use and dispose of literary and artistic work. Computer Literacy BASICS

Copyright Rules (cont.) Most sites include a copyright notice you should read and follow. Information on which the copyright has lapsed (failed)is considered in the public domain and can be used without permission, but you still must give proper credit to the source. Computer Literacy BASICS

Citing (referring)Internet Sources Any Internet resource used in a report or document must be cited . If you do not credit a source, then you are claiming someone else’s work or ideas as your own, which is plagiarism. You must give credit to any information you use. Computer Literacy BASICS

How to give credit? Cite resources Guidelines, such as the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers . MLA(Modern language Association) Creating citation in Word Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Class Activity 2 Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Summary There are various types of Internet resources including electronic journals, magazines, newspapers, Web sites, and e-mail messages. Search engines, subject directories, and mailing list postings each present different requirements for evaluation, but information from any electronic source should be assessed before depending on its validity and reliability. Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Summary (cont.) The criteria for evaluating Internet resources include authorship, content, appearance, ease of use, date, copyright information, objectivity, and quality control. Internet publications and Web site content can claim the same legal protection as books, newspapers, CDs, movies, and other forms that are protected by copyright law. Computer Literacy BASICS

Computer Literacy BASICS Summary (cont.) It is important to cite any information that you use from the Internet. The MLA style is widely used for citing electronic resources. Computer Literacy BASICS