So Much Information...
Because of the large variety of information sources available to you, it is often hard to tell if the information you are accessing is reliable or useful. Since you should never automatically accept the information you are retrieving as credible, accurate, or unbiased, how do you find the most trustworthy resources? You may not be a subject expert in the area you are researching, but there are a number of basic things to look for to help you evaluate the credibility of an information source.
After finding a source that is relevant to your topic, your detective work begins. Librarians and other experts pre-select materials available from the library. However, anyone can write and publish information; books are often self-published, newspapers publish opinions, magazines may reflect bias, or an interview you watch may not be from the most knowledgeable person on a subject. Websites in particular can be tricky to assess. The ease of posting material online makes it easier to find information, but not so easy to evaluate it.
Content
• Credibility
• Usefulness
• Evaluating Websites
• Check the Web Domains
• Easy to Remember Criteria: QUOTA
• Wikipedia - Credible or Not?
Credibility
Author's Credibility
Do you believe everything you read? Knowing more about an author can help you judge her or his credibility.
In terms of evaluating an author, credentials include degrees received, titles held, professional affiliations, years of activity in a field, publication history, fields of inquiry, and the characteristics of publications in which their work has appeared.
Publisher's Credibility
Similar to judging an author's credentials, knowing more about a publishing company can help you understand their potential biases. Keep in mind that publishing standards vary for each publishing house. XYZ Publishing may print anything that will bring a profit, whereas H. University Press may screen all information they publish to ensure the validity of the content, protecting their reputation.
CATEGORIES OF PUBLISHERS:
• Commercial publishing houses like Macmillan, Time/Warner, or Knopf.
• University Presses, like the University of Washington Press or Michigan State University Press.
• Associations, societies, businesses, industries, and services that publish their own periodicals, newsletters, staff training documents, operating schedules, brochures, etc.
• Governments and intergovernmental bodies, such as the United Nations.
• Web publishers, which includes anyone with access to a computer network and a host computer to store and deliver their publications, including the "traditional" publishing houses.
Usefulness
When deciding whether or not an information source is useful in the context of your research, you should consider the following issues regarding content. Click on the linked term to the right of each issue for a set of activities that will clarify your understanding of each:
Objectivity
Are the goals for this publication clearly stated?
Is there a particular bias evident? Is the viewpoint of the author's affiliation reflected in the message or content? Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched?
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ISSUE |
STRATEGIES |
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Does the author state the goals for this publication? (i.e. to inform, explain, educate, advocate, persuade or dissuade, sell a product or service, or serve as a soapbox?) |
Read the foreword, preface, abstract and/or introduction |
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Does the author exhibit a particular bias? (i.e. commitment to a point of view, acknowledgement of bias, presentation of facts and arguments for only one side of a controversial issue, language full of emotion-arousing words and bias?) |
Read the abstract and/or introduction Examine the work for Inflammatory language Images or graphic styles (e.g., text in color or boldface type) to persuade you of the author's point of view
Author's arguments or supporting facts Author's conclusions Bibliography that includes multiple points of view |
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Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched? (i.e. reasonable assumptions and conclusions, arguments and conclusions supported by evidence , opposing points of view addressed, opinions not disguised as facts, cited sources authoritative?) (i.e. to inform, explain, educate |
Verify facts and statistics with a reliable source Examine cited sources for authority and objectivity |
Quality
Does this appear to be quality work?
Is the information well-organized? Has the author used good grammar? Are the graphics – images, tables, charts, diagrams – appropriate and clearly presented?
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ISSUE |
STRATEGIES |
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Is the information well-organized? (i.e. logical structure, main points clearly presented, main ideas unified by overarching idea, text flowing well (not choppy or stilted), argument not repetitive ) |
· Look at the section headings to indicate structure · Look for agreement among reviews o Magazines for Libraries o Book reviews
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Has the author used good grammar and kept the text free of spelling or typographical errors? |
Read carefully for errors |
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Are graphics – images, tables, charts, diagrams – appropriate and clearly presented? (i.e. clearly labelled, with descriptive title(s), understandable without explanatory text ) |
Consider other ways to present the information |
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Is the information complete and accurate? (i.e. facts and results agree with your own knowledge of the subject and with those of other specialists in the field, documents sources, describes methodology, addresses theories and facts that may negate the main thesis, and avoids questionable assumptions ) |
· Verify facts and statistics with a reliable source · Examine cited sources for authority and objectivity |
Coverage/Currency
How does it cover your topic?
Is it comprehensive? an overview? highly detailed and narrowly-focused? Does the work update other sources?
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ISSUE |
STRATEGIES |
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When was the work published? |
Look for a publication or copyright date on the • Title page (books, journals) • Reverse of the title page (books) • Cover (journals, magazines, newspapers) • Table of contents (journals, magazines) • Bottom of the page (web sites) Dates on web pages may indicate • When the page was created • When the page was published on the web • When the page was last revised |
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Is your topic one that requires current information? |
Topic areas requiring the most up-to-date information may include Science, Medicine, or current events |
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Has this source been revised, updated, or expanded in a subsequent edition? |
Search catalogs and other databases for more recent editions |
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Does the work update other sources? |
Compare publication dates and content to other sources you have found |
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Does it substantiate other materials you have read, or add new information? |
Seek out multiple points of view and include a diversity of sources and ideas |
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Have you found enough information to support your arguments? |
Look for gaps in your arguments and evidence • Facts • Statistics • Evidence |
Relevance
Does the work address your research question or meet the requirements of your assignment?
Is the content appropriate for your research topic or assignment?
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ISSUE |
STRATEGIES |
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Does the work address your research question or meet the requirements of your assignment? |
• Review your research question and/or assignment • If you created a concept, or brain map, consult it for gaps in your information |
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Is the content appropriate for your research topic or assignment? (Consider scholarly vs. popular, fact vs. opinion, format/medium (e.g., book, journal, government report, web site, etc.), subject coverage, language, time period, geographical area, audience, primary (e.g., raw data, diaries, literature, photographs, first-hand accounts of an event, research reports, etc.) vs. secondary (information that has been analyzed and interpreted, e.g., literary criticism, most books, review of an art show or play, etc.) |
• Check the table of contents or scan the subheadings • Read the preface, abstract, introduction, and/or conclusion • Look for footnotes or endnotes and/or a bibliography • Look for reviews ◦ Magazines for Libraries ◦ Book reviews ◦ Internet Scout Report |
Evaluating Websites
All information sources need to be evaluated, but Websites offer additional challenges and need more scrutiny.
THE WEB IS AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR:
• News i.e. CNN.com News
• Grey literature pamphlets, technical reports, handouts, and associations’ literature , i.e.Pacific Island Gray Literature Project
• Self-publishing lacking peer review process and not disseminated by the trade publishing industry
• Data
• Advertising product information, i.e.Amazon.com
• Multimedia images with sounds and animation, i.e.FishIndexMSN Encarta Multimedia Fish
In selecting free Web based information sources pay attention to the following criteria:
AUTHORITY
Examine: Credentials of the producer or sponsor delivering the information
• Look for "about us," "home," "biography", and "credits" on the home page
• Check other publications by the author or sponsor by going to
• Examine and decode a URL address
• Check who owns a domain
• Search Google or Amazon for other publications or sites done by the author
CURRENCY
Consider: Information currency at the time of publication
• Check the frequency of updates
• Look for dates, updates, revision dates
• Avoid undated information sources
PURPOSE
Consider or determine: Why was the site created?
• To inform
• To entertain
• To advertise/sell a product
• To promote a point of view or belief
• To spoof or as a sham or hoax
Check the Web Domains
The domain of a website gives important clues to its credibility. You can find the domain name, sometimes called the domain suffix, in the URL of the website – it’s the .com in amazon.com, and the .ca in brocku.ca. Domain names follow patterns established by domain name registering agencies, and you can use those patterns to discern clues about the purpose and geographic origin of a website.
Some domains are better sources for credible information. For example, websites containing .edu or .gov originate from accredited postsecondary educational institutions in the United States, or US government offices. As such, they are usually more credible than .com or .cc websites that may have a commercial focus.
A confusing domain is .org. This domain is available to non-profit and for-profit organizations. While non-profit implies the organization does not have a commercial interest, it still could have biased or inaccurate information to further their agenda.
In general, here are some domain guidelines you can use when viewing a website:
Credible Domains
✓.edu ✓.gov ✓.int ✓.mil ✓ac.uk
Questionable Domains
? .org ? .com ? .cc ? .co
? .net ? .ca ? .us ? .biz
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Easy to Remember Criteria: QUOTA
There are five main evaluative criteria you can use when faced with a piece of information. An easy-to-remember acronym for these techniques is QUOTA. Ask yourself these questions for each criteria:
Criteria
Explanation
Qualified
Author - What is the author's education and experience? Does it
qualify them as an expert on this topic? Do they reference any research to
support their points?
Company/Organization - Does the company or organization have a good reputation?
What is the web domain (e.g. .com, .edu, etc.) of the site?
Up-To-Date*
Is the information current? When was it last
updated? For websites - are the links up-to-date and functioning?
Objectivity
Does the content focus on facts and information?
Or, does it state an opinion? Does the source use neutral or strong language?
Is there slant or bias present? Is the message trying to convince you of
something? Are there advertisements included with the information?
True
Is the information correct and has been
fact-checked? Are there additional sources or references to verify the
information? Do other experts agree? Was this information from a first-hand
experience?
Accurate
Does the content relate to your topic and answer
your questions? Is it meant for children, experts, adults, or casual
readers/viewers? Is it overly complex or not complex enough?
Wikipedia - Credible or Not?
Wikipedia describes itself as "a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free-access, free content Internet encyclopedia..." The collaborative nature of the site encourages users to submit and edit content. Critics of Wikipedia point out that some articles are incomplete, biased, unreliable, and inaccurate. However, Wikipedia does have mechanisms in place to raise the quality of articles including user reviews and flagging inappropriate or uncited content.
The answer to whether Wikipedia is credible or not is that it is both a credible and not credible source! To find the most credible information on Wikipedia, there are few things to pay attention to. A sign of a well-written Wikipedia article begins with in-line citations including attributions and reference tags. An example of an attribution is "According to Dr. Robert Fitzgerald of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center..." or "In the 2010 US Census report..." Reference tags are hyperlinked numbers that coincide with citations listed at the end of the article in the Reference section.
References
"Wikipedia." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 July 2014. Web. 22 July 2014.