Evaluating Web Pages

Most of us feel that we are Internet savvy enough to know if the information we are getting is bogus or not. But, would you be willing  to stake your career, academic or otherwise, on that assumption?  Below are some questions to ask as you do research on the Internet with some sites that illustrate the point. These are basic questions that should become second nature and will help you identify reliable sources very quickly.

    What's in a Name?

                Look at the URL first to see what information it can give you.

       Questions to Ask:
 

What is the domain name and is it appropriate for the content of the web page?

 
Domain Type of Site Domain Type of site Example
.gov Government http://www.fbi.gov, http://www.loc.gov/ 
.com Commerce http://www.theonion.com 
.edu Educational http://www.saintjoe.edu
.org Organization http://www.eduref.org/  , http://www.moveon.org 
.net Network http://www.worldartsales.net 
.int International http://www.esa.int 
.mil Military http://www.navy.mil 
.us,.ca,.in state/country http://www.tdwaterhouse.ca/ (Canada) 
http://www.normans.com.au/ (Australia)

 
How is this relevant?
By knowing where the information is stored, you get a big clue as to how reliable the information is, and if the information might be relevant to your research. You might also be forewarned as to the content and possible bias contained therein. Keep in mind that an address with the domain name of a country does not make the information official. The domain name merely indicates that the  information originates from that server. For more information on domain names, go to http://www.uninett.no/navn/domreg.html.

  Who published the page?
 

This information can be found between the www. and the domain name. If this information is not obvious, by truncating the address you may be able to get this information.
To Truncate an Address:
Begin by deleting a part of the address to the first “/”(slash). Continue deleting chunks of the address in thisway until you get to the information you are seeking.  Example: Go to http://www.musarium.com/stories/america-attacked/berard/08.html and delete “08.html” then hit return. Then delete “berard/.”  When you delete “america-attacked/”, you will not be allowed access to this page. Finally, delete “stories/ “and you will be at the main page of  Musarium.com where you will find information about the publishers and their agenda.

        Questions to ask:
                        -Is the site a homepage or part of a corporate, government, non-profit organization, or business site?

                        -What is the publisher's reputation?
                        *If the publisher has an excellent reputation, you can probably count on the information being accurate, but if
                          you are unsure of the publisher’s reputation, you should be unsure of the legitimacy of the information.
                          Reputation is not everything, so do some checking on what other people say about the publisher.

                        -What purpose does this site serve for the publisher?
                        *Maybe the publisher has an excellent reputation for building quality wogs, but if you have found a site of the
                          publisher’s citing research supporting the use of wogs, it would be a good idea to continue looking for
                          information from a non-biased source.  Think about how the publishers would benefit from your
                          unquestioning acceptance of the information that they offer.

                        -Is information provided about the publisher's views and purpose?

                        -If so, how might the publisher's bias affect the information on the site?
                        *It is a safe bet that www.peace.org is going to try to persuade you that peace is the best choice, and at
                          www.nra.org you will find lots of info on why everyone should be able to easily arm themselves
                          with whatever kind of weapon might be convenient.  But, the bias of other publishers may not be so
                          obvious (www.foxnews.com/).  Any information you get is representative of the author’s or publisher’s point
                          of view.

      Who is the Author?
 

Again, this might not be so obvious. Often the author's name is imbedded in the page address or is prominently placed on the page at the top or the bottom however you may need to truncate the address to get to the home page where you may find information about the author. The site may have editors instead of an author. If the author has not signed his or her own work, it is essentially anonymous. Do not use it. www.bfro.net/

       Questions to Ask:
 

-What is the author’s background?

-Is he/she a specialist on the subject or does he/she seem to be a hobbyist or a self- proclaimed expert?

-Does he/she have a degree in this area of study?

-Is he/she employed in the field?
*Hobbyists and self-proclaimed experts can provide good information, but what they provide may not be complete because they may lack education, and experience. It is better to find information from an author that is qualified to write on your subject. http://www.pitt.edu/~cbw/altm.html

-What is the Author's bias?

-Is the author endorsing any advertisements for a related product?

-What organization is the author affiliated with?

-Who is the Author’s employer?
*The answers to each of these questions can give you a clue as to what aspect of a subject might be over-emphasized or simply not included, and will help you determine how much weight, if any, to give to this source of information.

-Is there contact information beyond an email address?
*With nothing more than an email address, you cannot investigate the author’s background to know if he is
qualified to write on this subject.   www.curlingbasics.com/

Anyone can publish anything on the Internet. The more information you have about who the author is, and what his/her purpose is, the better to determine if  the information he/she is providing is legitimate.

                      Is the information accurate?

         Questions to Ask:
 

- -Would the information be published anywhere else?

-Is there a bibliography?
--Are these sources from scholarly /academic journals, books, or websites or from other reliable sources?
    http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3067/hume/h_index.html
--Are sources from both sides of the issue provided?
   *If there is not a bibliography, the information is probably only the author’s opinion and should be given
    very little weight or simply disregarded.

-Are there links to other reliable sources?
--Are these links to the original source?
     *If the answer is "No," be very suspicious. The original source could have been illegally  reproduced, and/or altered. 
--Do the links work?

-Does the information confirm what you already know?
  *Listen to your instincts on this one. If the information is different from anything else you have read, or seems counter intuitive, do some more research.  http://www.growtaller.net/
--Is the information meant to be satirical, a parody, or ironic? http://www.landoverbaptist.org/

  Is the information current?

         Questions to Ask:
 

Can you tell when the page was created and made available?

-Can you tell when the page was last updated?
   *This is not always an indication that the page was actually updated as programs can be written to automatically change the updated date on a daily basis.

-Does it matter?
  *Sometimes your goal may be to find dated information or you are looking for information that is timeless such as a poem, or literary critique.  If it is critical to your research to have up to date information and you cannot ascertain how current the information on a page actually is, do not use it as it is like using anonymous information.

  Look at the Big Picture
 

Look at all of the information you have gathered and ask yourself if this source is as good as what you would find in the library or on one of the library’s databases. Decide if the source meets the criteria for sources given to you by your professor. What does your gut tell you?

Most importantly, if you have any doubts or questions, ask a Librarian or your professor.
Librarians may seem busy, but their most important job is helping you.


Bibliography

Barker,  Joe. “Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask.” Internet Guides. January 6, 2003. <http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html> (February 24, 2003)

“Evalulating Web Pages”  What’s it all about? <http://www.library.uiuc.edu/rex/instruction/Internet/internetresearch.htm > (February 24, 2003).

Kapoun, Jim. “Teaching Undergrads WEB evaluation: A Guide for Library Instruction.” C & RL News, July/August, 1998.  “Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages.” September 18, 1998. 
< http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/webcrit.html > (February 24, 2002).

Kirk, Elizabeth. “Evaluating Information Found on the Internet.” June 5, 2002. 
< http://www.library.jhu.edu/elp/useit/evaluate/ > (February 24, 2003).

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Many thanks to Pam-Brown Seeley for preparing the information for this page.