Evaluating Internet Information
Introduction
     Being able to quickly and critically evaluate information resources on the Internet is critical to conducting Internet research. The Internet is a monstrously large and growing resource. There are  many different types of information available which makes being able to identify quality resources extremely important.

Comparing Libraries and the Internet

Libraries
     Libraries tend to have accurate and relevant content simply by the virtue of being a library. In libraries, the librarians develop plans and use specific criteria to add materials to their collection and each item added is carefully recorded in the library catalog. While these virtues help insure the accuracy of material in the collection, libraries are limited in what they can collect by their budget and physical storage space and the book or other reference you want may not be immediately availble if it is checked out to someone else.

The Internet
     Information on the Internet is plentiful and very broad-ranging. There is virtually no limit to the amount of space available for that information. Being totally digital aids in searching for and retrieving exactly the right information and that information always being available. Ther are some very large drawbacks to the structure of the Internet as a reference tool. First, anyone can add anything to the Internet at anytime and there is no central agency, person or group that makes plans for the whole Internet and how it will look or grow. Far too many Internet resources are poorly indexed, or not indexed at all. Some sources of information are not free for the taking. As the Internet grows more content providers are realizing the potential of electronic commerce and are now putting their information in a secure area and charging for access to that information.

Libraries AND the Internet
     Libraries are limited by budget and space so many libraries are now embracing Internet technologies to broaden their collection. Major corporations are sponsoring Internet connected computer systems for public libraries and school systems. Recently, Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft Corporation, established the Gates Foundation to help put computer systems into libraries through a relatively liberal grant program. Initiatives in Congress seek to put computer systems into schools and libraries to help bridge the "Information Gap" enabling lower income families to have access to computers and the Internet.

How Do You Recognize Good Information?
     Let's look at the process of evaluating information on a web site.

Note: The greater number of questions listed below answered "yes", the more likely it is you can determine whether the source is of high information quality. 

The steps listed in this table will assist you in your evaluation of the accuracy and validity of information resources on the Internet.
Step 1
Authority
  • Is it clear who wrote the material and are the author's qualifications for writing on this topic clearly stated?
  • Is there an organizational sponsor? 
  • Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of the page's sponsor? Example: A phone number or postal address to contact for more information? (Simply an email address is not enough).
  • Does the sponsor or developer have an established reputation in the field of interest?
    		•
    Step 2
    Accuracy
  • Is it clear who published the information?
  • Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and other typographical errors? (These kinds of errors not only indicate a lack of quality control, but can actually produce inaccuracies in information)
  • Are sources cited?
  • Is information available about how statistics or data were collected and evaluated?
    		•
    Step 3
    Objectivity
  • Is it clear who is sponsoring the site?
  • Does author affiliation influence the views presented?
  • Is there a political perspective? 
  • Is there a cultural or religious bias? 
  • Are there advertisements on the page?
    		•
    Step 4
    Coverage
  • Is there an indication that the page has been completed, and is not still under construction?
  • If the material is from a work which is out of copyright (as is often the case with a dictionary or thesaurus) has there been an effort to update the material to make it more current?
  • If there is a print equivalent to the Web page, is there a clear indication of whether the entire work is available on the Web or only parts of it? 
    		•
    Step 5
    Currency
  • Is the information current? 
  • Is the last update date clearly posted? 
  • If material is presented in graphs and/or charts, is it clearly stated when the data was gathered? 
  • If the information is published in different editions, is it clearly labeled what edition the page is from?
  • Is the resource archived?
    		•
    Step 5
    Purpose
  • To what extent is writer trying to influence the opinion of the reader?
  • Is the agenda or bias is explicitly stated in the about, goals, mission and purpose statements.
  • Does the authority and reputation of the sponsoring group suggests that the research was carefully done and information is accurate?
    		•
    Step 6
    Independent
    Review
  • Has the site been favorably reviewed in professional publications or respected online review publications?
    		•
    Step 7
    Inderpendent
    Sources
  • Are other (NON-Internet) sources available?
  • Can the information be more easily obtained from another source?
  • Is there a cost for the service? 
  • How useful is the information for your purpose?
    		•
    This last section really doesn't have anything to do with the validity or accuracy of information on a given site. However, you must always consider the amount of time it takes to extract just the information that is pertinent to your research. If the site is impossible to navigate, or there's no site searching capability, it will be very difficult to find exactly what you need in a timely manner.
    Site Design Is the site easy to use? (navigation, etc.) 
    Is the information well organized?
    Does the graphical design enhance or degrade readability? 
    Is the site searchable? 
    Is there an index or table of contents? 
    Is the site reliable? (too many 404 Page Not Found errors, etc.)
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    © 1997-1999 Matthew D. Armistead
    Oklahoma City University
    2501 N. Blackwelder
    Oklahoma City, OK 73106