Just because something is in print doesn't mean it's true and just because something appears on the web doesn't mean that it has been posted by an expert - [even information that appears on this site!] Therefore, when researching on the web, approach everything with a healthy dose of skepticism and be prepared to verify, verify, verify. You should also treat web page information as you would information obtained from a book, magazine or newspaper.
Here are some helpful suggestions for measuring a website's veracity and therefore the value of the information you find there:
1. You can usually locate information about the author/publisher of a web page or article by locating links on the web site such as "about me", "who am I", "about the author", or "about the site".
These links are usually found on the "home" or "index" page of the website.
You can also find information based on the URL, web address, or the domain of the site.
Here are the most common domain name abbreviations:
- .aero - Air-Transport industry only
- .biz - Business only
- .com - Usually a business or commercial institution, but can now be used by anyone
- .coop - Cooperative organization
- .edu - Educational institution only
- .info
- .gov - US Federal Government
- .mil - United States Military only
- .museum - Museum only
- .name - Individual only
- .net - Usually computer network provider, but can be used by anyone
- .gov - United States Federal Government only
- .org - Usually non-profit organization, but can be used by anyone
- .pro - Credentialed professional only
Some countries or states have their own domain name abbreviations. For example, .ru is for Russia and .uk is for the United Kingdom.
2. Evaluate the information on the page:
- Is the information likely to be true?
- Remember information presented on the web is falsifiable.
- Locate any sources the author/publisher used.
- Determine whether these sources agree or disagree with the web page's information.
- Compare this website's information with information you have found in other sources.
- Identify the objective of the web page - is it intended to present information or opinion?
- Does the author/publisher have an identifiable bias which might affect how information might be presented?
- Determine when the website was last updated - usually found on the bottom of the page. A site that has not been updated recently may not be presenting the most current information.
3. Examine the site's links:
- Do they connect with reputable websites or pages likely to be unreliable?
- If links do not work, it is likely the web page has not been updated for awhile.
- Use Google or Yahoo to find out about the site.
- Type "link:" and the address of the website immediately after the ":" and see what pages are linked to the web site. If other pages linked to the site are not credible, you may want to rethink about using the site as a source. On the other hand, if other pages linked to the site are credible - it is more likely that the site is a good source.
- You may need to try a shorter address - try using the address for the site's home page.
- You can also try conducting a search on author or publisher in Yahoo or Google.
4. Use the Web to find out more about the site by entering the site's URL [http address] into the following sites:
Other useful sites with advice on web page evaluation are: Evaluating Information Found on the Internet, Evaluating Web Pages, and Library Guide to Evaluating Resources on the World Wide Web.
Once again, don't believe everything you read and don't accept anything on the web at face value. If you are going to be using the web as a research source, you need to train yourself to separate the wheat and the chaff and always be ready to verify the information you find on the Net - especially if it seems unlikely.
One final place to look at is the Urban Reference Legend Pages at Snopes.com. You aren't going to find information on everything here, but if you are trying to check up on a rumor or story that has been passed around - this is a good place to start.
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