Evaluation Basics

Last week's web page lecture talked about the tools used to locate information on the Internet. The online tutorial tutorial links have shown you how to contruct effective queries to find web-based sources. Now, how can you judge the quality of the information you have discovered?

For many students, the Internet is the first place they look for information to fulfill class assignments. This is because the Internet provides quick and easy access to a variety of information sources. Unfortunately, anyone can post information to the Internet; there are no standards or quality controls for bias, accuracy, or authority.

For this reason, many instructors prohibit the use of Internet to assist in completing research projects. But, what do you do if you are researching a relatively new topic, one for which you are having difficulty finding information in more traditional sources? How can you judge the quality of information found on the Internet to keep from being fooled?

net.TUTOR provides an online, interactive tutorial to teach you how to evaluate web sites and the information they offer. The U.C. Berkeley Library offers additional assistance in learning how to apply specific techniques and what questions to ask to make sure you are not using untruths or invalid information from out-dated or bogus web sites.

Here is a little check list you may want to print out and consult as you search for web-based information.

After reading this web page and visiting the linked tutorials, try this little interactive quiz to see if you have become a savvy Internet searcher, http://liblearn.osu.edu/tutor/les1/sitepurpose_quiz.html.