The Internet is a powerful tool for students and researchers, providing instant access to many resources, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias. Not all sources of information available on the Internet are equally reliable, credible, and up-to-date and are not suitable for use as sources in school reports or research papers. Deciding which websites and other Internet sources are worthy of inclusion in a report can be tricky. The following tips can help students critically evaluate the content and authority of Internet sources and determine which sources will strengthen their research and which sources to avoid.
Establishing Relevance
As with print sources, an Internet source might be interesting and related to your research topic but might not be relevant to your paper. The first step in evaluating the relevance of a website is to check the site’s title, introduction, and, if applicable, its table of contents and index for clues about its topic and the scope of the information covered. Using “find” command (“Control + F”) to search for important keywords will also help you find potentially relevant sections of the website. If the content of the site relates to your research, decide if it is closely related or only tangentially related. Next, decide if the information is too broad, too general, too superficial, or too specific or technical. Look for sources written by authors whose goals are close to the goals of your own research. Decide if you fit the intended audience of a source: avoid sources that are geared to young children or to highly academic or technical audiences who have years of specialized knowledge that the author presumes upon.
Establishing Authority (include domain name discussion)
Establishing the authority of a website means establishing the credibility and credentials of the author. Read the “about us” or “about the author” section of the website or look for the name of the organization that publishes the page. Decide if the author is an expert in the field by looking at other things he has written and reading what other credible authors in the field say about him. Look for the author’s credentials and degrees: for example, if you are researching a medical issue, check that the author is a doctor, nurse, or medical researcher. Check that the author is writing in his area of expertise: an author’s credentials make him an expert in a particular field, not in all fields. Look for citations: if an author does not give information about her sources of information, the site may not be reliable.
Determine if the site is the presentation of academic information or simply one person’s opinion on an issue. If the site is part of a publication, determine if it is peer-reviewed by other experts in the field. Look for evidence that the site is commercial: ads that sell products or services that are recommended in the site’s articles may indicate both bias and a desire to sell products instead of a credible source of unbiased information.
If the author seems credible, the next step is to decide if the publisher is reputable. One way to determine credibility is to check the site’s domain extension (.com, .org, .edu, .gov, .mil). Certain domain names, such as “.com” or “.org”, are open to any person, group, or company (“.com” is used by commercial sites and “.org” is used by non-profit organizations). Other domain names are restricted. Educational institutions in the United States use “.edu”, the U.S. government uses “.gov”, and the U.S. military uses “.mil”. While students must still evaluate the relevance and utility of the information on the restricted domains and make sure they are not simply personal websites hosted by a university server, they are published by reliable organizations.
Evaluating Accuracy
To determine the accuracy of the information presented by an Internet source, check the source’s citations, footnotes, or endnotes to verify the information. If the site provides links to its sources, verify that the links work and that the information on the linked pages verifies the original document. If the source does not cite its sources for facts and ideas, it may not be reliable or accurate. If the source presents research findings, read the explanation of the research methods and methodology. Check to see if a source has been reviewed by an editor or peer review board, which may indicate accuracy and credibility. If the source’s information appears to diverge significantly from the information you have found through your research using other credible sources, it may not be reliable.
Considerations for News and Journalistic Sites
News and journalistic sites, such as news magazines or Internet news sites, often provide timely, up-to-date information that does not rely on citations of previously published material. First, check the site’s domain name to determine the publisher. Second, find the author’s name. Third, determine the author and the publisher’s credibility using the above criteria. An author writing for an established news organization with professional editors and a reputation to uphold will be a more valuable source than a citizen-journalist writing on his own website. Try searching the author’s name to see what other news organizations have written about him: if there are major news stories citing the original author’s plagiarism or false reporting, you may want to look for another source. Check the websites of multiple reputable news sites and cross-reference the facts: if each source agrees on the main facts of a story, it is likely reliable.
Blogs present a unique challenge to students who must evaluate the site’s accuracy and credibility. Some blogs are written by journalists who write for major, reputable news organizations, some by professors who teach at top universities, some by activists who work for lobbying or issue-driven organizations, and some by ordinary citizens. Read the “about the author” section to determine a blogger’s identity and credentials. Some bloggers are anonymous or use pseudonyms and others use their real names. When deciding on a source to include in research, choose ones whose real names are published on the site. Even for blogs written by journalists or professors, students must use a critical eye to evaluate the blog’s bias and the accuracy of any facts presented. Read the blog’s “blogroll”, or list of recommended blogs. Determine if these sites share a bias or single point of view, or if they are a balanced mix of opinions. Decide if a blogger has influence: see how many other blogs link to it, how many comments there are, and what others say about the blogger.
Considerations for Advocacy Sites
Advocacy sites are published by organizations that want to influence public opinion. These may be political parties, non-profit organizations, or lobbying groups. To verify the accuracy of information presented by an advocacy site, first determine if the site is clear about what group publishes the information and what the group’s goals are. A mission statement or “about the organization” page may provide this information. A group whose mission is unclear or seems purposely misleading may not provide accurate information. The same tips for establishing accuracy and authority apply to advocacy sites, such as whether or not the site provides citations for its facts.
Considerations for Personal Sites
Personal web pages may be published as individual sites or hosted by other organizations, such as a student’s personal website hosted on a university’s web server. The author should be clearly identified and any credentials, either academic or professional, should be listed either on the main page or on an “about the author” page. Determine if the individual is qualified as an expert in the subject in question and avoid personal sites written outside an author’s area of expertise. Verify that an individual’s claimed credentials are valid: if someone claims to be a professor at a university, check the university’s website to find their name among the active or retired faculty. The criteria for accuracy and authority, such as clearly cited sources and clearly stated bias, apply to personal websites.
Directories
Web directories are subject guides with web pages selected by editors in a certain field. Directories provide pre-screened information that is reliable and accurate, which helps students avoid problematic source material. Using web directories for research can be easier than simply using a search engine. Web directories are organized by subject and information within the subject is organized in sub-directories by level of specialization or detail. Students can begin with general information and narrow their focus as they learn more about a subject. Before relying on a web directory, first determine the directory’s criteria for selecting websites for inclusion and the credentials of the editors who select the source material. Choose web directories that are edited by experts in a field, teachers, or professors.
Citing Online Sources
When writing a research paper, all facts, opinions, and ideas that are not original to the author must be properly cited. Direct quotations, indirect quotations, and paraphrases of information must be cited. The information used when citing Internet sources is different than that used to cite print sources, even when the citation is the electronic form of a print source, such as an electronic journal. Use the resources below to find the proper citation style for Internet sources, such as newspapers, journals, e-books, blogs, and websites.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a community Internet encyclopedia edited by readers, which means that there is no panel of experts verifying the accuracy and unbiased nature of the information. Wikipedia authors are anonymous, which does not allow students to verify their credentials. Most teachers and professors do not allow Wikipedia to be used as a source of information for a research paper, although individual students should check with their own teacher for guidelines. Wikipedia can be useful for students in the research process, even if it will not be used a cited source, by providing background information and sources for further research. To evaluate a specific Wikipedia article, check the template messages or article status: an article flagged as lacking a neutral viewpoint or for problems with verification should be avoided. Check the article’s citations for credible, reliable sources of information. Check the article’s edit history and look at the editor’s website or domain name to see if they are experts or vandals.
Red Flags
Red flags that indicate that a source may not meet the standards necessary for inclusion in a research paper include sources that are not clearly cited, anonymous or pseudonymous authors, and sites lacking a clear author. Multiple misspellings and typos indicate a lack of quality control, as can bad grammar and poorly presented information (sites with multiple and difficult-to-read fonts, clashing colors, or difficult page navigation). Sites that do not list the date of publication or indicate when the site was last updated might be out of date or no longer maintained. Other indications that a site is unreliable include excessive advertisements, advertisements within the text, and a lack of differentiation between advertisements and articles. Indications that a site may be a spam site include: hidden links or keywords designed to bring in readers from search engines (yet when the user arrives at the site, the promised information is not available because the “hidden” information is written in white text on a white background or behind an image), keywords scattered throughout the text that do not belong in the text, and doorway pages (sites geared to a particular keyword that have little information; these sites direct users to one main site that may not have anything to do with the original search term).
When a Site Doesn't Measure Up
The Internet provides limitless sources of information, but the easiest sites to find may not be the most accurate. When a site does not meet the criteria listed above, do not include it as a source for your research. Using an unreliable, biased, or inaccurate source makes your own research appear sloppy or unreliable. Some of these sites, such as a Wikipedia article, may be useful for background information or to lead you to other, verifiable sources of information. If a site meets some criteria but fails others, do additional research to find a more accurate and reliable site. If you cannot find such a site, show your teacher or professor the site and ask for advice. Talking with your school’s librarian and exploring your school library or public library’s website may also provide you with links to reputable sources if you have exhausted your own resources.