Evaluating Internet Sites

A Guide to Avoiding the Web Sites Your Librarian Warned You About

David Weeks
Coordinator of Library Instruction
Dacus Library
Winthrop University
June, 2008

	Is It Real...
	Or Is It Fake?

There are two facts about the internet you need to remember:  First, not everything can be found on the Internet.  Second, not everything that can be found on the Internet is accurate and true.  Quality control is next to zero and deciding if a site is reliable is completely up to you.  Does this mean the Internet is evil and should be avoided?  Of course not!  There are times when the Internet is an invaluable resource for information.  The key is to only use sites you know are reliable. Remember, no one monitors the Internet for accuracy.  this means that anyone can post whatever information they want -- true or untrue.  So how do you decide if a site is reliable?  Here are some tips:

Accuracy

Make sure the site doesn't contain grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors.  Someone who is careless in the presentation of his site probably didn't go to much trouble to verify that the information presented is accurate. 

Look to see if the author provides sources for the information he presents.  A lack of references or citations could mean the information isn't from reliable sources.

Authority

Does the website clearly indicate who created its content, and does it give information on who this person or organization is?  Is the creator respected in the subject area?  What are his or her credentials?  For example, I use the ESPN website to find out the latest baseball scores.  It's up-to-the-minute (current), and it's affiliated with a respected company -- so I can be sure it's accurate.  But would I use "Bob's Baseball Site" to look up scores?  No, because Bob could update his site everyday with fake scores.

Is there contact information on the page for the author?  The more contact information provided, the better.  Look for a telephone number or physical address, not just an email address.

Also, remember that the domain name is not always a good indication of authority.  For example just because a page is in a ".edu" domain doesn't mean it's an official college or university website.  It could be a student or professor's personal page.  And don't automatically trust official looking domain names.  Neither the web address www.whitehouse.org or www.whitehouse.net is the official White House website.

Objectivity

Beware of bias!  This is one of the greatest dangers in using free and non-reviewed websites for your research.  Many websites are created with a specific agenda -- sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden.  If I were writing a paper on gun control, would I rely exclusively on the National Rifle Association's website www.nra.org for my information?  No, because information on their website would be presented with the intent on convincing me that gun control was a bad thing.  The web address www.martinlutherking.org seems like it would be a good source of information on the civil rights leader.  That is until you discover that the site is actually maintained by a white supremacist group.

Look for advertising on the page.  Could the type and number of sponsors be an indication of some type of bias?  The site could actually be trying to sell or promote a certain product or service.

Currency

When was the site created?  When was its content last updated?  Just as the copyright date in a book is important, so is the date a website was created or updated.  If the site you are using doesn't have a date on it, don't use it.  Likewise, if it appears it hasn't be updated in several years, be wary of using it.

Practice What You've Learned

Now look at the sites below and compare them with the tips I've just given you for deciding the reliability of a website.  You'll quickly see that even though some sites seem to meet all the criteria, they're not reliable!

www.genochoice.com
Would you like to genetically design your child?  You can at this website.  A very realistic site -- only the topic would make you question it.  If you click on "credits" you find that the creator is an artist named Virgil Wong.  This site is actually a part of larger, equally well designed site, www.rythospital.com.  On this site you can learn about male pregnancy and a mouse that has been implanted with human brain cells.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2284783.stm
Did you know that blondes will become extinct in about 200 years?  That's according to a study done by the World Health Organization.  Yes, this is a real story, on the real BBC website, and was also reported in several British papers.  It was even picked up by papers in the U.S. as well as Good Morning America.  When people began to question it, the source could not be determined.  WHO stated their organization never conducted such a study.  The British media claimed to have picked it up from a European news wire, but its exact source could never be traced.  While the website is real, it illustrated why journals are more reliable sources than newspapers or magazines.

www.dhmo.org
Do you realize the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide?  Should it be banned?  This site will give you all the details you need to make an informed decision.  It contains many of the elements which make a reliable website, but it's a spoof.  If you don't get the joke, don't feel bad -- it took me a while to figure it out!

So what kind of sites should you use when doing research on the web?  Her are a few examples:

www.lii.org "Librarians' Internet Index " is a subject directory of internet sites.  Unlike Yahoo! or Google, the sites are selected, screened, and reviewed by librarians and other subject experts.

www.census.gov  The U.S. Census Bureau's website is full of statistics and demographics on the American population and economy.

www.sciway.net  The South Carolina Information Highway is an excellent directory of information about South Carolina.

Some Final Points to Remember

► Most information found on the Internet can also be found in books, magazines, and journals.  If you do decide to use non-reviewed Internet sites as sources for your research, you must carefully evaluate each site for reliability.

► While the Internet can be a good resource for information, it is usually not the best source.  For example, if you need a research study in psychology, searching the PsychINFO  database would be a better choice than searching the Internet.  Dacus Library subscribes to almost 100 databases that provide much more scholarly information than you'll ever find by using an Internet search engine.

► If a professor tells you not to use Internet sources, that doesn't mean you can't use our databases such as InfoTrac.  These are simply electronic versions of journal indexes that happen to be delivered to us via the Internet.

► If you're ever unsure about whether a source is reliable, call or stop by the reference desk and a librarian will be glad to help you decide.