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Of Information and Web Sites This is a brief synopsis of part of a course taught by Library Faculty at PAC entitled Information Literacy (INFO 1371). For more complete information, please see a librarian or take a look at the library's Instruction page.
Web Site Evaluation:Look at the domain name. The extension will tell you the source of the site and something about its trustworthiness:
Are there advertisements on the page? If there is a lot of advertising on the site, or if the domain extension (.com) indicates it is a commercial site, the site's main purpose is probably to sell you something. Keep this in mind as you read what they have to say. Is the author of the site stated? If not, you should worry about why they don't want to reveal themselves. To find out more about the site, or to find out what the homepage of the site is, try erasing some of the URL from the right. Go to the top bar of the browser called LOCATION and look at the URL. For an example, look at the following URL:
Try erasing the last section by backspacing (don't do this while the URL is highlighted or the entire address will disappear when you hit backspace). You should now have the following:
Hit enter, and the browser will take you there. Explore what you find. If that gives you no revealing information, or the address doesn't work, try erasing another section as in the following example:
Again, if you don't yet find anything enlightening, try erasing more:
Often this process of reducing the URL, or address, will reveal more information about the author of the page and his or her alliances. Another aspect of the nature of the Web is that your exploration of it does not usually constitute a linear process. Links will usually take you to different sites. Sites that will have to be evaluated for their quality. Just because a site is linked to a trustworthy site does not mean that it is dependable. No one is in charge of controlling Web sites. The content of many sites changes in an unpredictable manner. The old warning "buyer beware" applies every time you link to a new site. You must use your critical thinking skills to determine the value of each site. Also, notice what else is on the site besides what you came for. Does it indicate a bias or agenda? "Why is the information available on the Internet? Did the author put the information online to: inform, explain, or persuade? If persuade, can you identify a particular bias?" (from Evaluation Checklist for Internet Information). Try using the following criteria to determine whether a site is worth using: EVALUATION CRITERIA:
For more information on evaluation criteria, see the links listed at the end of this page.
Information Evaluation:What is the last and most vital step in reading?
What are some of the ways in which a document may mislead you?
What are the seven sure-fire ways to spot bogus information?
What are the telltale clues of information manipulation?
The above section on evaluating information is from Chapter 10 of Double Your Brain Power by Jean Marie Stine. This book is filled with useful information. I recommend you purchase a copy (paperback from Prentice Hall) and read it. If you would like to read a more complete set of notes and explanations about the above, see my site Finding Reliable Information. For a much more complete treatment of how to approach information, read my site on Critical Thinking.
Some other sites on this subject:Criteria for Evaluating Information ResourcesCriteria for Evaluation of Internet Information Resources Evaluating Web Sites (Cornell University) Evaluation Checklist for Internet Information Finding Reliable Information --notes by Colby Glass Information Quality (WWW Virtual Library) Please send comments to: Colby Glass, MLIS |