Evaluating Internet Sources

Recently, I gleaned some helpful tips from the article “Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources.” The article details nine main helps; I will summarize the three that most benefitted me.

First, when seeking a solid source, search for what organization or institution the author of the information is associated with. You can look for links to sponsor organizations or contact information. As a caution, the author of the article reminds readers that links to an organization do not always mean that organization has approved the content of the site.

Second, clue into authors’ biases. Including personal bias does not automatically discredit a source, but one needs to be aware of fact versus opinion in a piece. Find the agenda then evaluate the article.

This final tip may seem simple, but it is often neglected. Paying attention to the actual URL of the source can give you insight into its credibility. Different Web sites serve unique purposes.

In example, “.edu” marks an education site, “.gov” a government site and “.net” a network infrastructure. These markers show where the home of that address lies.

As a final caution, the article author notes that things get confusing when an individual has a personal page associated with a university site, for example. Many universities provide personal Web pages to students or faculty members, but the university is not responsible for information posted in those spaces. Thus, they are no longer considered an academic source.

All these tips advise awareness and attention to detail. It is vitally important to apply these principles when gathering Internet sources.