EvaluatingInformation Sources

Ms. Jinong Sun

Huge quantity available versus an uneven level of quality; The Web has everything from diamonds to trash Information explosion makes finding quality information

difficult Opinion versus fact; Search results and information sources

should be judged or assessed before use Evaluation of Information sources is imperative for college

students Evaluation of information sources is an essential part of skills

for critical think

The source should be knowledgeable and offer unbiased information

The source needs to be credible, reliable, accurate, and current

The source needs to provide content appropriate for the user’s age, education, and purpose of information

Treat all legitimate viewpoints appropriately in terms of space and tone

Websites Journals

Learn how to evaluate Websites Look for who wrote the

page Look for why the page is

written Look for when the page

content was last updated Look for how the website

is operated and designed

Look to see if content is copied

Learn how to evaluate Print Sources Learn how to distinguish

scholarly journals Look at publisher Look at appearance Look at language Look at structure of the

article Look at in text citations and

footnotes

Evaluate Websites

Learn how to evaluate websites Look for who wrote the page Look at the URL’s domain name Look for why the page is written Look for when the page content was last

updated Look for how the website is operated and

designedEvaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to AskUC Berkeley - http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

Copyright (C) 2005 by the Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Document created & maintained on server:http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ by Joe Barker Last update 22March2005.

Evaluation Criteria #1: Authorship

A. Look for who wrote the page Look at top or Bottom of web pages “About Us” “Who We Are” “What We Do” “History,” “Philosophy” “Background” Look for information about occupation or experience if the

website is registered by an individual Distinction between Author and Webmaster.

B. Evaluate The Authority of The Author

Is this person qualified to write this article/webpage? What is his/her credentials and experience?

Is the author associated with a reputable institution or organization?

Is the author known in his or her field? Is the author mentioned in your textbook or by your professor?

Is the author’s work cited by other scholars?

Does the author have other formats of publications (i.e. books, articles published in peer-reviewed journals)

C. The Agency, Organization or Institution, look at: Statement of Position Mission Membership Date of Establishment Scope of Services Research/Publications “Contact Us” Documentation; Bibliography or References Examples: American Red Cross

American Bankers Association

D. Distinguish by domain: is it a commercial, governmental, personal, or academic website?

◇.com or .net– Commercial◇.edu- educational institutions◇.gov- federal government ◇.mil – US military◇.int – international organizations◇.org – Nonprofit entities or agencies ◇ State or Country

.uk – United Kingdom;

.nc.us – North Carolina, United States

Evaluation Criteria #2: Purpose

● Look for Why the Page was Written

To Inform Give Facts Give Data Be careful on the facts/data source (where the facts/data come from? Who

collected the data? At what supervisory level?) To Explain

Persuade Personal Views; if biased or selective inclusion/exclusion of facts Politician or lobbying group’s websites are commonly driven by their own

interests To Sell:

Marketing Entice Corporate web sites are rarely objective

To Share; Blogs, personal page

Purpose of the Website ? Illegal ImmigrationBy Non-profit Organization - FAIR “ Federation For American

Immigration Reform”

Biased or Unbiased?

Biased or Unbiased??

“Contact US” indicates this is a medical service provider with three branches

UNITED STATESThe Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities98 Cuttermill Road, Suite 90,Great Neck, NY 11021Tel: (516) 482-2888

UNITED KINGDOMThe Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities56 Gloucester Road, Suite 525KensingtonLondon, SW7 4UBHONG KONGThe Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities

Purpose of the Website? Dyslexic Treatment Information from a Service Provider

URL Domain .com ttp://www.dyslexiaonline.com

Trust or Not to Trust?

“Most important, 75–85% of medically treated children and adults respond favorably, rapidly, and often dramatically to simple and safe combinations of inner-ear-improving medications and related nutrients. “

--Introduction about the “Center”

Gun Safety by the National Rifle Association Health Problem Solutions Discussed by a

Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Evolution Published by a Religious Organization Real Estate Market Prospective from a :Local

Realtor Association Immigration Economic Impacts DataPosted by an Anti-Immigration Federation

Evaluation Criteria #3: Currency

● Look for When the Page Content was Last Updated

How recent the date needs to be depends on your needs. For some topics you want current information. For others, you want information put on the

web during the time it became known. In some cases, the importance of the

date is to tell you whether the page’s author is still maintaining an interest in the page, or has abandoned it.

● Look for a Bibliography or Footnotes

Compare the information presented to other resources. If the resources are contradictory, you may need to do some further investigation.

Look for documentation for the information provided. This may include in-text citations, footnotes, or a bibliography at the end of the pages.

Look for an explanation of research methods and materials consulted.

Look to see if the content is copied

● Look for How the Site Operates and is Designed: Dead Links

Site Search Functionality

Pop-up Ads

Lack of Logical Navigation

Any Copyright©

Extremely Slow Speed in Opening

Grammatical or Spelling Errors

Poor Graphical Design

Lack of Organization in Presentation of Content

Functional? Look at Navigation and the Date of the Content

Design: Good or Bad? Look at the Layout

Compare the Source and the Cross ReferenceABCNews.Com - The Reliable & Well-Known News Provider

URL Domain: http://www.abcnews.go.com

CAP News? Look at the title of the page… “Are you In On The Joke” It Mimics ABC News Site

U.S Air Force Official WebsiteURL Domain .mil http://www.af.mil

How Can You Evaluate if This is Air Force’s Website?Trust or Not to Trust?

White House’s Official Website Look at the Author and DomainAuthor: The White House

URL Domain .gov (http://ww.whitehouse.gov)

Who is the Author? Who is Responsible for the Website?

URL Domain com www.whitehouse.comTrust or

Not to Trust?

URL Domain .net (http://www.whitehouse.net)Content: Out of Date Info (Retrieved on August 17, 2010)

Few sources are truly neutral

Government publications have historically been trustworthy

Non-profit organizations’ sites may be biased towards the organization's point of view.

For-profit organizations’ sites mostly provide one-sided information for their own interests

Reputable educational institutions provide relatively unbiased information, but you need to examine individual page’s content because the page might be a student’s class project

Larger & reputable publishers usually provide fair-minded information

Google is a good starting point for topics you have no idea about, but it is time-consuming to get quality information for your academic paper compared to the information sources available through your college library

Wikipedia is a popular resource but not a reliable source because the author or editor could be anyone. It might be a more appropriate source for high school students, but not for college students

You have a better place to get quality information & resources!

Chesnutt Library

Evaluation of Print Sources

Books

Journals - -Our Main FocusScholarly Journals Popular MagazinesTrade Publications

Newspapers

Pamphlets

Brochures

Government Documents

Learn How to Distinguish Scholarly Journals From Others:

Look at PublisherLook at AppearanceLook at SubjectsLook at Language Look at Structure of the ArticleLook at In-text Citations and Footnotes

College level papers often require the use of articles from scholarly journals (peer-reviewed or refereed) or academic journals. Popular magazines or trade journals maybe cover the topics that are appropriate for their audience but would not be an appropriate source for college students’ papers.

●Scholarly Journals: Also called Academic Journals, Peer-reviewed, or Refereed Journals. Articles are sent to other scholars, experts in the field, for review and agreement that the article represents original research and contributions to the field and is worthy of being published.

Look for:● A certain structure: an abstract, descriptive introduction, literature review, main text

including hypothesis, methodology, discussion, findings or results, charts, figures, in-text citations, footnotes, or bibliography.

● Affiliations of the author are listed – universities, research institutions, or labs

● Published by a specific professional organizations (professional society, association, academic press, etc)

● Language: professional jargon that may require the reader to have technical or specialized knowledge of the field

● Sober, serious look, few exciting pictures

Source: “Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals”Http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill20/html

Nature Journal of Psychology American Economic Review Journal of Advanced Academics Social Studies Journal of the American Medical Association Arts Education Policy Review American Journal of Education

Popular Magazines:The main purpose of popular magazines is to entertain the reader, to sell products, or to promote a viewpoint. Information is often second or third hand, the original source is rarely mentioned.

Look for:● Exiting pictures● Advertising● Language that is simple & plainly understood by laypeople● Articles that are short and limited in length ● Articles which seldom have footnotes or sources of information●Professional graphic design●Glossy covers and heavy headlines

People Readers Digest Vogue Essence Parent Family Information Today Sports Illustrated

Trade Publications:The main purpose of trade publications or trade journals is to provide information for a particular profession or industry about industry trends, products or techniques, practical experiences, and organizational news.

Look for: Articles that frequently focus on issues associated with a particular

business or industry Publisher is a special industry or business or trade association Language uses represents the Jargon of the industry Appearance is glossy, with color and exiting pictures Content usually contains news or information of interest to people in

that business profession or industry Advertisements are aimed at people in that profession or industry

Source :http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/scholjour.html

Apparel Architectural Review Building Advertising Age Golf Course Industry Beverage Industry American Firearms Fabricating & Metalworking

Quick & Easy Scholarly Sources are Available at Our University – Chesnutt Library

Books Journals Databases Government Documents

“Bank Regulation” & “Banking Industry Profile”

Try: Google Wikipedia Web Resources Library Resources: Books

JournalsDatabases

Evaluating Information Found on the Internet, Johns Hopkins University http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/

Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask, University of California at Berkeley – Teaching Library Internet Workshops http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

Librarians Internet Index: Websites You Can Trust http://lii.org/Web

Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages, Cornell University Libraryhttp://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html