HOW TO EVALUATE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET

How do we research effectively?

 Millions of hits per search  How do we know what information is good and what isn’t?

 How do we tell the difference?

How do we know?

 Authority  Accuracy  Currency  Objectivity

   Doesn’t hide who is responsible for the information Is clear about their qualifications for sharing the information Reveals its sources

 Presents information that is reliable and free from error

  When the website was created When the information was last revised

    Presents information with a minimum of bias Presents information in a fair manner Reveals its own biases (every website is biased) This way, you can decide which website is useful for your research

 How_to_Evaluate_12

Let the professionals be your filter

 A website that:  requires a paid subscription in order to  access information. Contains information from published     encyclopedias. Searches for titles, authors, magazines, dates, etc. Gives access to full-text articles that can be printed or e-mailed. Selected by librarians to meet the needs of their library patrons.

Provides bibliographic information

      the information comes from professionals or experts in the field.

Contains published works where facts are checked.

Easy to cite in a bibliography and may create the citation for you Helps you narrow down your topic or suggest related subjects.

Updated frequently and include the date of publication.

Available to anyone using a computer in a library that subscribes to databases or any library cardholder using a computer outside the library.

 Use Boolean Logic:     Broaden or narrow your search with operators. Keep in mind that different search tools use different operators. Many search engines assume that you're using the word AND between each word even if you don't enter it. Explore the following chart for more ideas:

 AND, +, & (searchincludes both words)  OR, |  sand AND sculpture  ice OR sand AND sculpture  NOT,  ice NOT sand AND sculpture  AND NOT, !

 NEAR, ~  weed AND NOT marijuana  NEAR sculpture

 *  " “  use lowercase letters  title:, t:  url:, u:  sculpt*  "statue of liberty“  "statue of liberty“  title: sand sculpture  u: eduscapes

A good resource does not hide its identity.

Be smart and think critically