Lesson 6: How to Evaluate Sources
As you research your topic, you will want to evaluate the sources in
terms of their worth. Some general guidelines for evaluating sources include:
Who is the author? What are his/her credentials?
Is he/she qualified to write on the subject matter?
What is the author trying to convey to his/her audience?
Is he/she offering unbiased information or are they trying to persuade the
reader to accept their opinion? If there is bias, is the author fair and balanced in the
presentation of his/her views? Biased
information does not necessarily discredit the source.
Does the author write from fact or opinion? Does he/she offer a bibliography or other evidence, such as case
studies, to verify their statements? Do
these citations represent credible sources?
Does the source offer current information?
Does the subject require up-to-date material?
(Science and technology are constantly changing, while literature and
history remain timeless.)
Since the Internet is not regulated, information accessed may or may not be credible. Any individual can post material on a site, so the information may not always be factual. The above criteria for evaluating general sources can be utilized for Internet sources with a few added considerations.
Try to locate the author’s name on the web page.
Attempt to verify the author’s credentials, keeping in mind that on the
Internet, people can represent themselves in any way they wish.
In many cases the author will not be identified, so look for a copyright
credit or organization name, which would lend credibility to the information on
the website. The domain (.com, .edu,
.org, etc.) provides immediate insight as to the type of organization sponsoring
a website.
|
.com |
|
Commercial (companies and for-profit web sites) |
|
|
.org |
|
Non-profit organizations |
|
|
.net |
|
Network access groups (like Internet service providers) |
|
|
Note:
.COM, .ORG and .NET can now be used by |
|
||
|
.gov |
|
U.S. federal government |
|
|
.edu |
|
U.S. academic institutions granting 4-year degrees |
|
|
.mil |
|
U.S. Military |
|
Use caution with material found on web pages
sponsored by Internet service providers, such as Yahoo, MSN and Netscape.
They offer free web space for personal pages.
A tilde (~) in the URL commonly signifies a personal website.
Websites are created for a variety of purposes, including
dissemination of news, advertising, entertainment and opinion.
When evaluating a website, try to ascertain the author’s purpose for
creating the site. Is the website
meant to inform or persuade? Who is the intended audience?
The reading level of the page is a good indicator of its academic worth.
Many websites will offer links or citations to support the
creator’s work. Is the author’s
writing based on personal opinion or on factual information? Good documentation suggests a more trustworthy source.
Be wary of websites that do not offer adequate support of their message.
Check for a date on the web page to affirm the currency of the given
information; however, keep in mind that the date will change even if the author
only corrects a minor spelling error. As
a researcher you must judge whether the material is current by comparing the
information presented with that of other sources.
One indicator of an out-of-date page is the presence of broken links.
You may now proceed to the exercise for this lesson.