NO! The information found on the Internet and the World Wide Web is, for the most part, not filtered for reliable content or quality. The main reasons for this are the ease at which individuals can place information on the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web, and the sheer volume of information.

To make matters worse, some Internet companies claim to "review" Internet sites but in reality offer "preferred listings" to paying customers. Also, these companies hire "reviewers" with little or no experience or subject background. Therefore, even the so-called "reviewed" Internet sites must be looked upon with caution.

Problems arise, however, if one is using the Internet for research. It is sometimes difficult to verify the source and accuracy of the information. In contrast, the information found within a library goes through a selection process that includes reading reviews, purchasing from reputable publishers, filling faculty requests, and drawing from hundreds of years of collective library experience.

However, since the Internet has "decentralized" information the researcher is on his/her own without the benefit of a skilled librarian to lead the way. You will find below some of the methods to evaluate information on the Internet that librarians and serious researchers employ to find high quality information that is the basis of the scholarly research process.

Know Your Author!

An author's affiliation is an important clue to the reliability of the information.

• Look for any biographical statement about the author.
  
• Look for an e-mail address or site address to determine affiliation.
  

Questions to ask about the author

• Is the author even listed?
  
• Is the author the original creator of the information?
  
• Did the author list his/her occupation, educational background, expertise?
  
• Do you think this person is qualified to present this information?
  
• Did the author cite his/her sources?
  
• Can you verify the author's credentials from another source?
  
• Has the author also published in professional or scholarly journals?
  

Clues about the host site

Extensions (domains) on addresses possibly indicating reliability

• a .edu extension indicates a college or university
  
• a .org extension indicates an organization
  
• a .gov extension indicates a governmental entity
  
• a .com indicates a commercial enterprise
  

These "extension" rules should only be applied in a general way. Some commercial sites contain high quality information but many are advertising a product or service and, therefore, are not objective sources. A person who works for the commercial enterprise may be reliable, although a person who is merely "renting" space on their web server may not be. Government sites usually have reliable information but remember that government also deal in propaganda and partisan views. Academic sites will most likely contain quality information suitable for research, but you must still check the author's background. An organization may be a legal entity that has an interest in providing reliable information. However, the information found on an organization's homepage may also be highly biased and one-sided.

Is the Homepage still active?

• Is there a date of creation for the homepage?
  
• Is the information current?
  
• When was the page last revised?
  

Don't think for a minute that because you found information on the Internet that it is current and up to date. Many pages are created on a whim and then quickly forgotten. In many cases homepages are done by volunteers and are not always updated on a regular basis.

Questions to ask about homepage content

• Is the information accurate?
  
• Is there a strong bias?
  
• Is the subject treatment sufficient?
  
• Are the links on the page relevant to the subject?
  

Questions to ask about homepage style and design

• Is the homepage easy to navigate?
  
• Is the homepage logically organized?
  
• Is the writing clear?
  
• Are there numerous spelling or grammatical errors?
  
• Are there errors in the use of HTML tags?
  
• Do the links work?

A well designed homepage indicates that the author took it seriously and applied care in its creation. If the author didn't bother using a spell-checker or dictionary to correct simple spelling errors, do you think he/she would even bother to check the facts contained in the homepage? Not too likely!

If you do use an Internet site as a research source, be sure to cite it correctly!

If you have doubts about information found at a particular Internet site, visit your library to verify the facts and consult with a knowledgeable librarian.

Other Evaluation Web Sites

Author: Robert L. Battenfeld, M.L.S., M.S. - Southampton College Library, Reference Librarian

Updated: March 4, 2004