Westbrook High School

Evaluating Websites and Books

 

 

 

Evaluating Websites and Books 

 

Do you believe everything you read in print or view on the World Wide Web? 

Do you think all the information is true? 

I should hope not.

 

Keep this in mind: Anyone can create a Web page.

Many of you have probably created web pages before.

 

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when conducting research on the Internet.

 

In a search engine, such as google or dogpile, a subject or group of words is typed in to find search results.  When the results appear, there will probably be many to look at and choose from.  When looking at the results, the following are a few items to keep in mind.

 

Is the information on the results page:

  • Authentic, would the information be reputable, or not.
  • Government, University, and Business sites are a few examples of websites whose information displayed will be authentic.  A site created by NASA or Library of Congress are filled with information that is reliable.  Examples of sites ending in .gov, .mil, .us, .edu, .org are valid sites
  • Check to see if there is background information about the site: A link on the home page, or any links that may read “More About” or “For more information.”
  • Author:  Who created the page, has it really been written by who it says it has
  • Can the website creator(s) be contacted, whether by email, address, phone number?
  • What are their credentials, background/professional experience of this individual(s)?
  • Is the web page edited, if so how many times?  Sites maybe updated every hour such as a news site.  Others, the information is never edited-these are the sites that may want to be avoided. 
  • Is the information current, or out of date?
  • If the site is sponsored by a company or organization, what type of reputation does it have?
  • When was the page written? Find a date.

There may be web sites that show bias, such as cruelty to animals, or immigration.  The information on these types of sites may not be true, with positives and negatives.  The information will be one sided, and there is always two sides to a story, please keep this in mind.

 

Book Evaluation:

 

Books can be an excellent source for information on a wide range of subjects of research topics.  It is important to think critically about the quality of a book and how appropriate it is for your research.  One important aspect to keep in mind with books is that just because it is in print, does not mean it is reliable or true. 

 

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when conducting research in books.

 

When evaluating a book look for the following:

  • Introduction of a book:  This section of the book explains to the reader why the book was written, and who wrote it.
  • Author information:  Is the author an expert in this field? Look for background information about author. What else has the author written?
  • Publisher information:  Is the publisher well known? Does the publisher stand to benefit from the research or argument presented in the publication?
  • Age appropriate:  Look into which age group the book is geared towards: general readers, high school students, college students, graduate students, specialists or professionals, researchers or scholars? 
  • Does the content of the book skim several different topics or does it focus on one issue or topic and explore it in detail?
  • Accuracy:  Whether or not the book provides factual information.
  • Is there a general agreement with other sources for the same information?
  • Is there documentation for the information provided? This may include in-text citations or a bibliography at the end of the article.
  • Check for errors in the information presented. It may be acceptable to overlook minor mistakes, but there are other errors that might undermine the information presented.
  • Date of Publication:  The issue of currency is important when evaluating factual information. The date a document was created may affect its accuracy.  Also, checking to see if it is the latest edition is significant.
  • Choosing a book that is exclusively on that “one topic of interest” is helpful.  How much information will you use from that title? Is it useful? Or, is finding another title on your topic more beneficial?  You need to determine whether the book discusses your specific topic or if it simply contains some of the same words and phrases. Scanning the chapter titles and the book's index can also help you decide if the work will meet your research needs.

Universities, museums, and other educational or research institutions are often reliable publishers.  As one can see, this is similar to web site evaluations.  All books are written with a particular audience in mind.

Sites to check out for further information:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Why It Is a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Resources

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

 

Evaluating the Quality of Information on the Internet Virtual Chase

Evaluating the Quality of Information on the Internet

 

LEO: Literacy Education Online

LEO Write Place Catalog

Sources cited:

 

Critical thinking and the Web; Teaching Users to Evaluate Internet Resources.  Pisttsburgh: Library Instruction Publications, 2000

 

Evaluating Information Tutorial.  UNC Libraries

23/01/2007  http://www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/evaluate/introduction/

 

 Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools.  Olin and Uris Libraries

23/01/2007 http://www.librarycornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html

 

Barker, Joe Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial.  UC Berkeley Library

23/01/2007  http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html