Evaluating the information sources you find for applicability and appropriateness is a very important step in the research process.
Here are five criteria by which you can begin to evaluate the usefulness of a web site.
-
Authority
Who is providing the information? Does he/she have a background in the subject? Try to verify the authorship through other sources; even consider emailing the author if given for more information. If you plan to use the information in a research paper, you must be certain the author is reliable.
-
Accuracy
Never take for granted that the information presented in any one website is accurate and truthful! Find other websites or published materials (books, articles, statistics) to confirm what you find. Mistakes are common, and there could be a hidden (or not-so-hidden) agenda at work. See Objectivity below.
-
Objectivity
Often individuals will create websites when they feel passionately about an issue. That DOES NOT mean they have all their facts straight or that they are presenting good information. Look carefully for any sign of bias or prejudice in individuals' websites - remember there are always two sides to any story. The best websites (and published materials, for that matter) strive to be objective and to present research or issues without trying to persuade the reader.
-
Currency
Things change fast! Try to find a publishing or a "last-updated" date on the web site. You may be looking at a site that was put on the web in the 1990s, and therefore is completely out of date!
-
Coverage
Look for sites that attempt to provide complete coverage of any particular issue and avoid sites that tend to be too focused or narrow. Does the site offer information that is not available from any other source? If yes, and it meets all other criteria, go ahead and use it. If it simply duplicates information you can find in printed sources, be safe and use the printed sources instead.
