Tips for Evaluating Online Resources

From E-Learning Companion, Second Edition by Ryan Watkins and Michael Corry, page 38. Copyright ©2008.

Both accurate and inaccurate information is readily available on the Internet and World Wide Web. As a student, you will want to develop the critical thinking skills for determining which information that you find online is of value and should be included as a resource for your online coursework. Consequently, evaluating online resources will be an essential skill for your success. Unfortunately, there is no formula for sifting out useful and reliable sources of information on the Internet from those that you would not want to use in college coursework.

What follows are guidelines and suggestions for assessing the reliability, quality, and usefulness of online (as well as traditional print-based) resources. You should review these tips before, during, and after you conduct any research using the Internet to ensure that you have selected only the information sources that will lead to your success.[i] In addition, you should contact your college’s library for assistance in identifying dependable online and print-based resources for your college papers and assignments.

Source Reliability.

The reliability of the information that you have available to include when writing your term papers, reviewing for exams, making references in position papers, and so forth will be an essential ingredient to your success in college. While there is no simple formula for assessing reliability, by following the steps below you can better ensure the reliability of your sources.

Contact information.

Check to determine if the author’s contact information is available for the selected information. This information should include name of author, title, and organizational affiliation, as well as postal or email addresses.

Author’s credentials.

The credibility of an author is often related to his or her credentials. Review the biographical information provided about the author to determine if he or she is a reliable source of information. For example, has he published several scholarly articles on the topic in the research journals of his field or has she been recognized by professional organizations for her contributions to her field of study. It is also often valuable to confirm an author’s expertise on a topic through examining other publications by the author and/or identifying references to the author’s work in publications by other experts in the discipline.

Publication’s reputation.

Publications (such as journals, magazines, and websites) build their reputation with a field of study by publishing reliable and useful information for readers. You should become familiar with the reputations of various publications within your field of study as you begin your research. You can always ask your professor or librarian to make recommendations on the reputations of various publications.

Blogs and wikis.

Online publications such as blogs and wikis are rarely reviewed for accuracy, truthfulness, or potential bias. As a result, they are risky resources for your college papers and assignments. Although these types of online publications can provide you with background information on a topic, you will typically not want to use them as references or quote them without confirming the information through a reputable research publication or periodical.

Sponsoring organization(s).

Many publications (such as journals, magazines, and websites) are sponsored by organizations such as professional societies, nonprofit organizations, and other entities with a mission behind the publications that they sponsor. Reviewing the mission of the organization that funds any website, journal, or other publication can provide you with information regarding potential biases or perspectives that may shape the reliability of the information.