It is especially important to look at information found on the Internet with a critical eye. Anyone can, and probably will, publish anything on the Internet. Therefore, it is often difficult to tell:
- What kind of document you are viewing
- Where it came from
- When it was created
- Who authored/created it
- If the publication is an original, a revision, plagiarized, or altered by others
- If it has been reviewed by peers, an editor, a refereeing process, or by a librarian
When you plan to use information from the Internet for academic purposes, you should consider the following criteria and ask yourself the corresponding questions:
Accuracy
- Is the information presented accurate?
- Are the facts verifiable from other sources?
- Is the information presented clearly, with few mechanical and grammatical errors?
Authority
- Who is the author of the document?
- Is the author the original creator of the information?
- Is the author an expert on the topic or a professional in the field?
Objectivity
- Does the material inform, explain, or persuade?
- Does the author have a bias?
- Is the author affiliated with particular organizations, institutions, or associations? Does the organization supporting the site have a particular point of view?
- Is the information presented fact or opinion?
Currency
- On what date was the page created?
- Do you need more current information?
- Do links on the site still connect to their destinations?
Use
- Would you quote information from this site in a college research paper?
- Is the type of material appropriate for the assignment?
- Does the source include a bibliography or citations that can be used for comparing or verifying information?
