|
|
Lesson
Six:
Because of the variety of sources, ease of publication, lack of central control and proliferation of commercial information on the Internet, it is often hard to tell if the information you are accessing is reliable. Many sites contain research and information of high quality. However, unlike traditional print publication, there is usually no process of peer review, nor is there an editor verifying the accuracy of information presented on the Internet. There are increasing numbers of sites containing information which may be incomplete, anonymously written, out-of-date, biased, or whose content may not be factual. In some cases, an Internet site may be like an electronic tabloid publication. You should not automatically accept the information you are retrieving at face value. So how do you find the most credible sources on the web? How do you decide if the source or author of the web site is qualified to discuss the subject presented? Identifying the type of Internet source you are looking at and asking some basic questions about the source will help you in the evaluation process. You will become a consumer of information rather than misinformation. When Should You Use The Internet? Even though this course is about the Internet, and the Internet does contain a wealth of valuable information, it may not be the most appropriate source for you at any given time. Contrary to popular myth, many information resources cannot be found on the Internet! Current books, texts, and full-text journal articles are not usually freely available on the Internet, though portions may be. Internet sources tend to be recent; information prior to 1993 is generally not available unless it is free of copyright restrictions. In some instances the Internet may serve to supplement information from traditional resources, but may not replace those sources. Though it is becoming increasingly easier to find audio files, video files, illustrations, and information in multimedia formats, the Internet is still primarily a text environment. Consequently, there may be times when the "old-fashioned" way of looking for information, (i.e., looking something up in a reference book) will provide the answer you need in five minutes, when it may take an hour on the Internet to find similar information. In all cases, use the information tool which is most appropriate; when that tool is the Internet, this lesson will help ensure that you use credible sites. Internet sites originate from a variety of sources and contain an equally wide variety of types of information, including advertising, personal stories and narratives, biographical information, business memos, news, research, and statistics, as well as professional journals and publications. It is important to determine exactly what type of site you are viewing and to understand any underlying biases that may make the site an inappropriate resource. Your Internet sources must be analyzed individually. Not all education and government sites will be appropriate for your particular research need; likewise, a commercial site is not necessarily an inappropriate source of information. The following comprise the major categories of Internet sites. Government (federal, state, local) sites may provide laws, statistics, directories, timely information on issues concerning all citizens, or information about government agencies. These sites are not only some of the most widely available on the Internet, but some of the most useful and reliable. The domain name .gov is an indication that the site is a governmental one, though some government agencies use other domain names. Some typical government sites include the following:
Education sites may provide scholarly works from academic departments, course syllabi, class schedules, home pages of colleges and high schools, online courses, library catalogs and links to information databases. Education sites tend to be reliable, though individual student or faculty pages may vary in authority. The domain name .edu is an indication that the site is from an educational institution, though not all education sites have such a domain name. Some typical education sites include the following:
A non-profit site is one sponsored by an organization attempting to influence public opinion. Non-profit organizations may provide studies, statistics and resources. The domain name .org is an indication that the site is from a non-profit or advocacy group. Some typical sites include the following. The primary purpose of a news site is to provide current information about newsworthy topics. In many cases, these sites will provide the most up-to-date information available. Most major metropolitan newspapers and television news networks maintain web sites. As these are commercial operations, the domain name .com will most frequently be found with a news site. Some typical news sites include the following. A business or marketing web page is one sponsored by a commercial enterprise. Business sites may provide such resources as annual reports, company histories, stock quotes, and product advertising. These sites may actively promote the sale of items. The domain name .com will be most frequently found with this type of site. Some typical business sites are the following. A personal web page is one by an individual not officially associated with an educational, organizational, or governmental institution. These pages vary greatly in terms of content and quality control and should be used cautiously as a source of factual information. Personal sites also tend to have a short life expectancy; for these reasons, personal sites are usually not suitable for serious research. However, a personal site may provide a number of links to other sites which may be reliable. A variety of domain names may be used for a personal web page. Frequently, the name of the person will be part of the URL as in ~smith. Increasingly, many web sites are supported by advertisements. This usually takes the form of a banner or a hyperlink. As a consumer it is your job to decide whether there is a conflict of interest between the sponsor and the objectivity of the web site. The presence or absence of advertisements does not automatically brand a web site as bad or good. Sites must be evaluated individually according to the basic criteria below. A webfomercial is comparable to a television infomercial. If the site disguises itself as an informational site, it should be viewed cautiously. Discussion groups (Lesson 2) have their own set of criteria and problems related to quality control. It is fair to assume that most all conversations on listservs, discussion groups and chat rooms are opinion. Because messages to these groups are processed by software packages, there is little or no attempt to control the content. Look for a link from the signature to the writer's credentials or home page to help judge the credibility of the posting. Messages taken out of context, or read out of the thread of the discussion topic can also lead to problems, so read the entire discussion thread. You may not be a subject expert in the area you are researching on the Internet, but there are a number of basic things you can look for to help you evaluate the credibility of an Internet site. In addition to a number of characteristics which are easy to ascertain, there are additional elements which require more analysis. The following are some questions you should ask when considering whether or not to use an Internet source.
Complete Exercise 6 after reading Lesson 6. It is worth 15 points. Copyright © 1997-2000 Florida Community
College |
|