Evaluating Internet Sources

• Is there an author of the work? If so, is the author clearly identified?
• Are the author's credentials for writing on this topic stated?
• Is the author affiliated with an organization?
• Does the site or page represent a group, organization, institution, corporation or government body?
• Is there a link back to the organization's page or a way to contact the organization or the author to verify the credibility of the site (address, phone number, email address)?
• Is it clear who is responsible for the creation and/or maintenance of the site or page?

Why Question the Author or Source of a Web Page?
It is important to ask these questions because often we are taught to believe that what we read in a newspaper, magazine or book, or on the Web, is true. But this is not necessarily the case. If you cannot find an author or an organization connected to a website be very, very suspicious. If no one wants to stand behind the creation of the page why should you believe what is written there?
Even if you can find an organization or author you still need to be cautious and make sure that the organization and/or author are who they say they are. This may include further research on a particular author or organization.

• Is this page part of an edited or peer-reviewed publication?
• Can factual information be verified through footnotes or bibliographies to other credible sources?
• Based on what you already know about the subject, or have checked from other sources, does this information seem credible?
• Is it clear who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the information presented?
• If statistical data is presented in graphs or charts is it labeled clearly?
  
• Look at the Aspartame website and ask yourself if the information seems credible and accurate.

Why Question the Accuracy of a Web Page?
In the scholarly publication process there are a number of steps an articles goes through called peer-review. When an author submits an article an editor can assign it to two, sometimes as many as four, independent referees. The referees review the article and write reports that recommend acceptance, acceptance with minor changes, acceptance with major changes, or rejection. Very generally speaking, final acceptance rates are about 30%, and the entire process can take up to a year. It used to be possible to say that in general on the Web there were few editors, but as more and more resources move to online-only, or are born-digital, it is possible to find many edited documents and peer-reviewed ejournals available on the Web. In fact depending on your discipline you may be able to find all the peer-reviewed journal articles you need for your research/assignment available through online access.

It could be said though, that there are few editors of the Internet. There is no system in place, for the entire Internet, for people to proofread and "send back" or "reject" a document until it meets the standards of a publishing house's reputation. This lack of review and revision process means that not all Web pages are reliable or valuable. Documents can easily be copied and falsified, or copied with omissions and errors - intentional or accidental.

Know what kinds of publications you need for your research/assignment so that you are looking for the correct type. If you are required to use articles from scholarly publications and/or popular magazines see Types of Materials to compare the differences between the two. Sloppy or poorly put together graphs or charts should be regarded with suspicion. Not only is such information difficult to use, it is also inconsistent with quality research from a credible source and should lead you to suspect the accuracy of the information on the page. Regarding the Aspartame website: Some of the clues that tell you to be cautious about the information on this page are: visually it is all over the place, with bold letters, bright colours, and a liberal use of exclamation marks. But there are testimonials and doctors opinions and those can be convincing to some people.

• Is there a date stating when the document was originally created?
• Is it clear when the site or page was last updated, revised or edited?
• Are there any indications that the material is updated frequently or consistently to ensure currency of the content?
• If there are links to other Web pages are they current?

Why Question the Currency of a Web Page?
Currency of information is particularly important in the Sciences as findings can change drastically in short periods of time. How current the Web page or site you are looking at is relevant because if you are going to use information from a site you want to know that the information is updated or revised if necessary, or at the very least that the page is looked at and maintained by the webmaster with some consistency. The date showing the currency of a site is usually near the bottom of the page.
If links to other Web pages are not current this could be sign that the site is not well-maintained.

• Is the page free of advertising? If the page does contain advertising, are the ads clearly separated from the content?
• Does the page display a particular bias or perspective? Or is the information presented factually, without bias?
• Is it clear and forthcoming about its view of the subject?
• Does it use inflammatory or provocative language?

Why Question the Objectivity of a Web Page?
If advertisements are present look for a relationship between the content of the page and the advertising. Are the advertising and content connected? Ask yourself if the sponsors of the advertisements could have sponsored the research reported on a Web site.
For example: You find a Web page about a vitamin supplement and the page has advertisements flashing over it, selling the same health supplement. Be cautious and skeptical that the content of the page is without bias. Make sure that the information is factual, not just testimonials of satisfied 'customers'.
Check other sources to verify the information. Look closely at how information is presented. Are opinions clearly stated, or is the information vague? It is acceptable for a page to present a biased opinion, but you as the consumer of the information should know what that opinion is, it should be clear, not hidden.

• Is there any indication that the page is complete and is not still under construction?
• If there is a print equivalent to the Web page, is there clear indication of whether the entire work or only a portion is available on the Web?

Why Question the Coverage of a Web Page?
If there is any indication that the page is still under construction it may be better not to use it, as aspects of the page, as well as the information on it, may change by the time it is finished.
If you find an excellent page and feel you simply must use it, but it is still under construction, it may be a good idea to include that fact in your bibliography. Your professor may see a different page than the one you referenced by the time you hand in your finished paper.
If you are looking at a Web page for which there is a print equivalent check to see if the entire work is on the Web page. If it is a portion of the work make sure that quotes have not been taken out of context or information has not been misrepresented.

• What is the primary purpose of the page? To sell a product? To make a political point? To have fun? To parody a person, organization or idea? For examples of web site parodies see:
  Dihydrogen Monoxide
  Feline Reactions to Bearded Men
• Is the page or site a comprehensive resource or does it focus on a narrow range of information?
• What is the emphasis of the presentation? Technical, scholarly, clinical, popular, elementary, etc.

Why Question the Purpose of a Web Page?
If the primary purpose of the Web site is to sell a product make sure the information is not biased if you are thinking of using it for a research paper.
If the primary point is to have fun, or parody a person or organization you may not want to use it as a reference for a research paper, unless your paper has to do with Web site hoaxes.
If a site or page is not comprehensive, and focuses on a narrow range of information it might be still be useful, just remember to look at the page critically. If a page has a narrow focus try to make sure that relevant information has not been left out.