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Evaluating the Credibility of Information on Web Sites
One of the more powerful features of World Wide Web
technology is that anyone can be an information provider. That poses a problem
for those seeking information, particularly if the information seekers are
inexperienced in evaluating Web-based material, if they are seeking information
outside their range of personal knowledge or experience, or if they are
particularly "impressionable" or
naieve.
Use the following clues to help you evaluate the factual merit of information
that you retrieve from the Web.
- Does the author benefit (financially or by other influence) by having you
trust information that may not be accurate?
- Use the Web address to "track back" to
the original server (removing the part of the address after the domain
name) to find the source site.
- Some domains have a higher liklihood of containing unbiased information,
particularly the .gov and .edu domains. The .com and .org domains may be promoting
a product or cause. (There are exceptions to this clue so be wary.)
- Does the information contain well-structured, appropriately-tested scientific
data? Have the data been published and referenced elsewhere? Was the material
peer-reviewed? Are there numbers or just feelings, opinions, and summaries?
- Is the information consistent with multiple lines of evidence?
- Are links to and from the information themselves in credible Web sites?
- Was the information "filtered" or edited
through a collection point, like a newsletter, or online magazine?
- Do you know who originally provided the information?
- Does the information logically seem believable? Use your common sense!!!
Sources:
Burbules, N. C. and T. A. Callister, Jr. 1999. Who Lives Here? Access to
and Credibility Within Cyberspace. http://faculty.ed.uiuc.edu/burbules/papers/who_lives_here.html
Metta Winter. 1997. Read Science Articles with a Wary Eye (report of an
interview with Bruce Lewenstein). Agriculture and Life Science News, Cornell
University, December, 1997.
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