1. Evaluating of Information
Once you enter a tertiary educational institution, it is often difficult to know where to start your information search, as you are faced with:
Large amounts of information,
In many different formats,
From many different sources,
In many locations, that it is very difficult for you to know where to start your search for information

2. Google Scholar
GS is a free scholarly search engine that indexes the full text of intellectual content/ creation in many formats, subjects and disciplines. With GS you can research for:
Various types of academic or scholarly information or research e.g. articles, theses, books, abstracts, court opinions, presentations, statistics, etc.
In carious formats, e.g. full-text or abstract
Across many disciplines,
From various sources e.g. academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, individuals, etc.

3. Criteria For Evaluation
When using search engines or metasearch engines to look for information , on the web, you need to evaluate the information you access and or the website/s it come from. Please remember that, unlike information items (e.g. books, journals, multimedia etc.) that are added to the library, nobody monitors what is added or published online. Information from the web can be of any quality, because anyone, from anywhere in the world, can post any type of information, at any time, in any format, and they can leave it there for any length of time. Therefore you often have to deal with information that is wrong, misleading or biased, or which Is there to sell or advertise a product, promote viewpoint, or even for no apparent reason. So, before blindly using information downloaded from any website, evaluate it by applying the credentials we about to discuss

4. 1. Authority
This refers to the expertise of the author. Biographical information can be helpful with this criterion and can sometimes be found at the beginning or end of the item; or you can “Google” the author. Authority includes:
Name: is the author name clearly visible? If it is a website , does the information displayed show the have author’s names?
Educational background: what are the author’s qualifications or academic credentials?
Experience: what kind of work experience does the author have?
Publications: has the author published / written any previous articles?
Web owner/sponsor: who owns/sponsors the site and have they had any influence on the author’s creation?

5. 2. Coverage
This refers to the scope or how completely the author covers the subject. The following areas must be examined:
source of information: is the source primary, secondary or tertiary? Is the source scholarly, professional or popular?
Breadth of information: what is the breadth of the item, i.e. how well is the subject covered? Does it cover the whole subject or an aspect of it?
Depth of information: what is the depth of coverage i.e. how intensively is the subject covered?

6. 3. Currency
This refers to the date of publication/creation of the information. It is especially important when dealing with areas like computer science and medicine, which require more current information. The date of an online item is not always immediately visible, so you may have to look everywhere for it, e.g. on the first page of an article , at the article, in the url etc. the item must show the following:
Date of publication: when was the item published? When was the website created?
Date range covered: does the information cover only certain time periods? If so, are these clearly stated?
Date of revision: when was the item revised? When was the website updated?
Period between revisions: How often is the item/website updated or revised?

7. 4. Intended Audience
This refers to who the information is aimed at. When examining the information using this criteria, you must look at:
Intended audience: is the information/website aimed at the technical, specialized or expert reader?
Is it aimed at the reader with some knowledge of the subject? Is it an overview of the subject, aimed at a general audience or a lay person?
Level of information: is the information/website written at an advanced , intermediate or elementary/basic level?
Appropriate: is it appropriate for your level of studies?

8. 5. Objectivity or bias
This criterion refers to whether or not the content shows bias. When evaluating information you must look at:
Facts: is the item fact or fiction, and if it is factual, are the facts interpreted objectively?
Opinion: is the item on opinion piece or an editorial? Are other opinions presented?
Bias: is the item propaganda or is it truthful? Is it biased? Does it argue for or against a specific position?
Language: is the language emotional. Intemperate (over-the-top) and /or biased?
Style: is the style of writing objective and impartial, or is it biased?

9. 6. Purpose
This refers to why the item/website was created. When examining the information using this criterion, you must look at:
Purpose: is the purpose and rationale clearly stated?
intention: is the intention to inform, educate, persuade, sell, entertain, mislead?

10. 8. Reliability & Accuracy
This refers to the dependability or credibility of the item. Is the information:
Accurate: is the information accurate and/or trustworthy, i.e. can the facts be checked and supported/verified by evidence?
Reliable: is the item dependable? Does the information coincide with what you know to be true, or does it go completely opposite to what you and most people have always believed to be true?
Researched: was the item well researched, or are there errors and/or omissions?
Referenced: does the item contain citations, footnotes, a bibliography or a reference list?

11. 9. Web Host & Affiliation
This refers to the organization, company, university, government office etc. With which the website is associated:
Website host: who owns the website the item is displayed on? Has the author/website been sponsored by a particular organization? Has the website owner/sponsor had any noticeable influence on the information item?
A simple way to determine a site’s affiliation is to examine the URL and domain name to identify what type of organization maintains the site. URLs can provide useful clues, as long as you learn how to read them. They provide information about the name and domain of the organization, and the directory, folder and file within which the information is organized. Domain are arranged by level.