HOW TO EVALUATE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET

How do we research effectively?

 Millions of hits per search  How do we know what information is good and what isn’t?  How do we tell the difference?

How do we know?

 Authority  Accuracy  Currency  Objectivity

 Doesn’t hide who is responsible for the information  Is clear about their qualifications for sharing the information  Reveals its sources

 Presents information that is reliable and free from error

 When the website was created  When the information was last revised

 Presents information with a minimum of bias  Presents information in a fair manner  Reveals its own biases (every website is biased)  This way, you can decide which website is useful for your research

 How_to_Evaluate_12 How_to_Evaluate_12

Let the professionals be your filter

 A website that:  requires a paid subscription in order to access information.  Contains information from published works such as articles from magazines or encyclopedias.  Searches for titles, authors, magazines, dates, etc.  Gives access to full-text articles that can be printed or ed.  Selected by librarians to meet the needs of their library patrons.  Provides bibliographic information

 the information comes from professionals or experts in the field.  Contains published works where facts are checked.  Easy to cite in a bibliography and may create the citation for you  Helps you narrow down your topic or suggest related subjects.  Updated frequently and include the date of publication.  Available to anyone using a computer in a library that subscribes to databases or any library cardholder using a computer outside the library.

 Use Boolean Logic:  Broaden or narrow your search with operators.  Keep in mind that different search tools use different operators.  Many search engines assume that you're using the word AND between each word even if you don't enter it.  Explore the following chart for more ideas:

 AND, +, & (searchincludes both words)  OR, |  NOT, -  AND NOT, !  NEAR, ~  sand AND sculpture  ice OR sand AND sculpture  ice NOT sand AND sculpture  weed AND NOT marijuana  NEAR sculpture

 *  " “  use lowercase letters  title:, t:  url:, u:  sculpt*  "statue of liberty“  title: sand sculpture  u: eduscapes

A good resource does not hide its identity.

Be smart and think critically