1. Looking for information?
Where do you usually search for information?
What’s your favourite search engine?
How do you decide if a website contains ‘good’ information?
How did you decide whether to use a site or not?

2. Currency : the timeliness of the information
The C.R.A.P. Test
Currency : the timeliness of the information
Reliability : the accuracy and correctness
Authority : the sources of information
Purpose : the reason the web site exists

3. Currency How recent is the information?
When was the information posted/published?
Has it been revised or updated recently?
Is the information current? Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work?
Are the links functional?

4. Reliability What kind of information is included in the website?
Where does the information come from?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Do the contents match what you already know about the subject?
Is the content fact or opinion?
Is the information balanced or biased?
Does the site provide references to the sources of its information?

5. Authority Who is the author/creator of the site?
Is the author an authority in the subject?
What are their credentials (education, qualifications, experience)?
Can you contact them?
Who is the publisher/sponsor of the site?
Does the URL of the site determine the nature of the site? e.g. .edu, .ac.uk, .org, .gov, .com, .co.uk

6. Purpose/Point of View
What is the intent of the site? Is it to persuade, sell, entertain, inform, or teach?
Is there advertising on the site?
Is the author presenting fact or opinion?
Is the information objective and free from bias?
What is the domain (.edu, .org, .gov, etc.) and how does this influence the purpose/point of view?

7. What is scholarly information?
Different from most information on the web
Written by subject experts
Vetted before you see it
Peer reviewed – read, evaluated and agreed upon by panel of experts
Accurate, valid and correct
In most cases – unbiased, free of commercial, political, social and personal bias
Important to understand that the information sources you use are appropriate to the level of work you are undertaking.
At this level you must be using scholarly information.
Anyone can post on the web, may not be fact checked. May be correct, may be full of errors

8. What does scholarly information look like online?
2. The name of the publisher may be in the url
3. Click on the title of the journal to find out more
1. Look for the logo or name of the publisher

9. What does scholarly information look like online?
2. The Editorial board will give us more information
1. This journal is peer reviewed

10. What does scholarly information look like online?
Names of Editors and their institutions suggests that this journal is scholarly.

11. What does scholarly information look like online?
1. It is often in PDF format
2. Find out about the Author’s credentials
3. Look for references

12. What does scholarly information look like online?
Scholarly information will always contain references

13. Scholarly Information
How do you find it online?
Online library databases
E-library
Directory of Open Access Journals
SpringerOpen Journals
University Repositories
Google Scholar
Databases – best place to start – high quality, vetted and already evaluated
Google Scholar

14. Examples http://iopscience.iop.org/2043-6262
2 very different looking sites, both scholarly and peer reviewed.
Discovery via DOAJ – news bulletin – how many sites added and how many removed as not up to scholarly standard.
Can’t rely on design but look at clues in content
Name of publisher – logo – url
Title of journal – usually got journal in it
More info about journal – link to journal or about journal
peer reviewed, editorial board, credentials of authors, names of scholars
Link to PDF or full text – not always in PDF format
Skim item – substantive, not brief
Bibliographies/reference list – scholarly info always cites sources