Evaluating Information

Evaluating Information on the Web: "The World Wide Web is a great tool for exploring all kinds of information. While it is useful to have access to so much diverse and uncensored material, it is important to remember that internet browsers and search engines do NOT discern between valid, useful information and the inaccurate, useless stuff. Even the most diligent web surfers can sometimes forget that much of what is on the web is not only irrelevant or misleading, but often false. To be a savvy researcher you must think critically about what you find. This tutorial will guide you through five points to help you evaluate the quality of information on the web."

There are five points to consider when evaluating information you find on the web: Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage.

Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask

Evaluating Information Found on the Internet

Evaluating the Quality of Information on the Internet

Searching for and Evaluating Information on the Web

Critical Evaluation of Resources

Critically Analyzing Information Resources

Search Engine Tutorials

Search Engine Watch

Search Engine Showdown: The User's Guide to Web Searching

Librarian's Internet Index

Web Site Evaluation

Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages


Is This a Scholarly Publication?

Remember: "Although the Web contains vast amounts of information, always remember that there are other sources of information out there. There is still valuable information that may only be found in books or journal articles that are not found on the web... With the Internet there is no evaluation of the information before it gets into your hands: anyone with a computer and connection to the Internet could in theory put up whatever information they want (very little regulation of the Internet is in place).
It is therefore even more important for you to think critically and evaluate the information you find on the Web."