Evaluating Sources

The web is your friend - but you have to be careful...

When it comes to research, the web has opened up countless doors for sharing and distributing information. But with all this information at our fingertips - how do we know what to trust? How do we know what to incorporate into our schoolwork or professional and personal lives? Here are some tips for using the tools of the internet to your advantage. 

  When you search for something online, Wikipedia is often one of the first results.

Should you use it? The answer is YES....and no. 

Google is usually our first stop when we're searching for information. When researching, we often need more specific search results. These Advanced Google Tools allow you to refine your search and limit to specific formats, domain names, and phrases. 

• Google Advanced

  Allows you to make your search results more relevant. As well as to filter your results by language, region, date of last update, specific websites, and much more.

• Refine Web Searches

  Find other cool tricks and tips for things you can put in the search box at Google's Refine web searches page.

 -- Use the "site or domain" box to limit your search to only certain domains, such as .gov, .org, or .edu 

• .gov = These are US government sites
• .edu = Academic-affiliated sites owned by schools, universities, and research institutions
• .org  = Non-profit (but be careful - it is actually fairly easy to get a ".org" domain, so research the organization to ensure they are reliable. 
• .com = A commercial site, anyone can own a .com domain. 

   

ABC's of Evaluation

Author

• Who wrote this? - If you can't tell, that's a red flag!
• What are their credentials? Do they have any expertise on this topic? Are they a journalist, a blogger, a politician? - Do a Google search on them if you can't tell. 
• Who is the author affiliated with? Do they work for a new station? Are they affiliated with any political groups, companies, or non-profits? Is there a corporate sponsor? 
• Why did the author or organization write this? To inform? To sell something? To persuade? 

Bias (any unsubstantiated judgement, statement or evidence) 

• How is the information presented? (Fact? Opinion?) 
• Is their inflammatory language or unsubstantiated evidence? 
• Can you find alternative sources that support the claims in this article? 
• What voices and perspectives are MISSING from this article/video? Who is not represented? 

Credibility

• Has anyone reviewed this information? Is it peer-reviewed? Does an editorial board review the information? 
• How up-to-date is the aricle? Is the information out-of-date? 
• What was their research methodology? How did they collect their evidence - did they use survey tools? Interviews?