How to Evaluate Internet Resources
The most difficult and time-consuming parts of research used to be the gathering of information. Today that can be the easiest part, thanks to technology.
The number of resources available via the Internet is immense and it continues to grow at a staggering rate. The Baltimore Sun reported on July 12, 1999 that there are an estimated 800 million pages on the Web, according to a study published in the scientific journal Nature. Hobbes' Internet Timeline reports that the Internet has been doubling in size about every year, growing at a rate of 10% to 15% a month.
Organizations, companies, educational institutions, government agencies, communities, and individual people all serve as information providers for the electronic Internet community. This technology allows anyone to publish anything at anytime - and it's easy to do.
Most of the information on the Internet is not reviewed or "filtered." In other words, unlike the more traditional information media (books, magazines, videos) which pass through an editor, the content of a web page does not have to be approved by anyone before it is made public. Seldom is there a reviewing process conducted by peers or an authority, or checking by a publication or editor, or selection by a librarian during collection development. Anyone can say anything. Unfortunately, many people, especially students, often believe "If it's on the Internet, it must be true."
Following are some basic criteria for evaluating Internet resources.
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Evaluation CriteriaAuthority indicates whether or not an individual, an organization, or an agency is recognized as an expert in a field and if that body is knowledgeable, qualified, and reliable. An example of a reliable authority would be a university or a government agency. Authority is an extremely important criterion when evaluating Internet resources.
Is the author/information provider clearly identified? Is data included about the author/information provider?
Is the author/information provider affiliated with a recognized institution/organization?
Examining the URL (address) can give clues to the authority of a source. One part of the URL's domain is the host, a three-letter suffix indicating the type of domain:
| edu=higher education college or university | org=non-profit organization |
| gov=government agency or organization | int=international organization |
| com=commercial organization | mil=military |
| net=network provider |
In the example http://www.jhu.edu/~jsmith/sports.html, edu indicates the host is an educational institution, in this case Johns Hopkins University. While this sounds very reputable, the tilde (~) after the type of domain usually indicates a personal web page rather than part of the organization's official web site. The example indicates the site is a file about sports in the folder of someone named jsmith. Extra scrutiny should be applied to such sites.
Many websites do not have anyone overseeing their content; however, there are times when information has been reviewed prior to it being publishing on the Internet. Examples are:
- Information presented on an official organizational web site
- Online journals that use peer review by editors or others
- Posting of information taken from books or journals that previously underwent a quality control process
| Holocaust Controversy | The Holocaust: An Historical Summary | ||
| HIV/AIDS Information Center | The True but Little Known Facts about Women and Aids |
Objectivity refers to the presence of factual data and the lack of personal prejudice in the information presented.
| American Lung Association | American Smokers Alliance | Smoking from All Sides |
When it comes to currency of information, the Internet can have a definite advantage over traditional information resources. Its technology allows almost instantaneous updating of information. Students can follow the launch of a space shuttle or track a hurricane practically minute by minute.
Be aware that if a date is provided on a site, that date may have various meanings. For example:
A site may be updated or revised without all of the information being revised. Do the dates for the updates correspond to the information in the resource? Does the organization or person hosting the resource appear to have a commitment to ongoing maintenance and stability of the resource?
Look at the date(s) and decide what is important and relevant to you. As in printed sources, some work is timeless, like classic novels or much of history. Other work has a limited useful life because of advances in the discipline (as in science, for example)or because it is outdated very quickly (as in technology news). You must therefore be careful to note when the information you retrieve was first created and then decide whether it is still of value.
USA Today |
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Navigation refers to how easy it is to move around a web site.
| onLINE: on Librarians' Network for Essential Curriculum | WebElements |
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Let's Review!
The Internet is only one source of information.
1. It can be very useful for researching certain topics.
2. It can be almost useless for other topics.
3. To research a topic thoroughly, use a variety of sources, both Internet and non-Internet.
Technology is outpacing the ability to create standards and guidelines for information on the Internet. Establishing evaluation procedures is an ongoing, evolutionary process.
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Last updated July 14, 1999 by Ann
B. O'Neill
This information was adapted from a presentation
made by library media specialists Ann B. O'Neill, Franklin
High School, and Carrie Everhart, Randallstown
High School, Baltimore County
Public Schools, at the Maryland
Educational Media Organization (MEMO) Fall 1997 Conference
"School Libraries: Plugged In & Connected," October
23-24, 1997.