Critically Evaluating Information
Being able to quickly and critically evaluate references to library
and Internet materials is a very useful skill. There are so many different types of information available that
identifying and evaluating quality resources can sometimes be
difficult. Learning to identify questionable or biased
information is essential. Be aware that library and Internet collections grow in
very different ways...
In Libraries librarians try to purchase only high quality
materials. Each item added is carefully cataloged or recorded in the
online catalog. The size of a library is determined by its budget
and physical space limits.
On the Internet anyone with HTML coding skills and access
to a Web server can publish on the Web. There is no limit to the
size of the World Wide Web. It is often difficult to separate
informative, accurate and useful sites from those sites of
questionable value.
Students and researchers must use critical thinking skills when
viewing and evaluating all types of information, particularly Web
sites. Critical evaluation skills are particularly important
because:
- There is increased use of the Internet.
- The April 12, 1999 issue of eMarketer concluded that 35 million U.S. households (34% of the total) or 98.9 million people have Internet access.
- There is a large quantity of information
- A 1999 article in Nature, by authors Steve Lawrence and Lee Giles, found that there are currently over 800 million publicly
indexable Web pages. Of these sites
- 83% contains commercial content
- 6% contains scientific or educational content
- 1.2% contains government content
- 2.8% contains health content
- 1.9 % contains societies content
- 1.5% contains pornographic content
- Other content includes personal, community and religious content
- The quality of information is varied
- A study published in the June 1998 issue of Pediatrics found that 48 of 60 medical websites examined gave inaccurate or obsolete information. Among 28 of the sites
aimed specifically at child health, 57% were inaccurate. One of the researchers concluded "You don’t need to be sophisticated
to find a lot of information. You do need to be sophisticated to read it critically."
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Evaluation
Criteria
Use the following questions to critically
evaluate print and Web based information:
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| Author
or authority |
Who
is the author?
Is she or he affiliated with a reputable university or organization?
What is the author's educational background or experience?
What is their area of expertise?
Has the author published in scholarly or peer reviewed
publications?
Does the author/Web master provide contact information? |
| Accuracy
or credibility |
Is
the information provided based on proven facts?
Is it published in a scholarly or peer-reviewed publication?
Have you found similar information in a scholarly or
peer-reviewed publication? |
| Coverage
or relevance |
Does
the information covered meet your information needs?
Is the coverage basic or comprehensive?
Is there an "About Us" link that explains subject
coverage?
How relevant is it to your research interests? |
| Currency |
When
was the information published?
When was the Web site was last updated.
Is timeliness important to your information need? |
| Objectivity
or bias |
How
objective or biased is the information?
What do you know about who is publishing this information?
Is there a political, social or commercial agenda?
Does the information try to inform or persuade?
How balanced is the presentation on opposing perspectives?
What is the tone of language used (angry, sarcastic, balanced,
educated)? |
| Sources
or documentation |
Is
there a list of references or works cited?
is there a bibliography?
Is there information provided to support statements of fact?
Can you contact the author or Web master to ask for, and receive,
the sources used? |
| Publication
and Web site design |
How
well designed is the Web site?
Is the information clearly focused?
How easy to use is the information?
How easy is it to find information within the publication or
Web site?
Are the bibliographic references and links accurate, current,
credible and relevant?
Are the contact addresses for the author(s) and Web master(s)
available from the site? |
Exercise
- Use the Web
Site Evaluator, a fun and interactive resource to help you
critically evaluate Web information.
Evaluation Criteria Handout
Continue - Assignment: Start Your Research
Process
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