Guide to Library Research in Science

Lesson 12: Evaluating Information

Critical evaluation of information is an essential part of the research process. Whether the source of your information is a print reference or a web site, it is important to evaluate the information for accuracy, authority, timeliness, coverage and objectivity. Although print publications are usually subjected to pre-publication evaluation by editors, publishers and peer reviewers, they still may contain inaccuracies and may reflect the bias of individuals responsible for their creation. Likewise, documents appearing on many web sites also undergo rigorous evaluation before they are launched. However, the openness of the web environment makes it possible for almost anyone to publish information without the quality control that is normally part of the print sphere. Therefore, it is important to think about the reliability of the information you retrieve, no matter what the format.

This lesson presents a series of questions that will help in assessing the reliability of information from both print and World Wide Web resources.

Criteria	Print	Web Site
Authority	Who is the author of the work? What are his or her qualifications for writing on the topic? (Consider education, employment history, relevant experience, current affiliations, and publication record.) Who is the publisher? (Trade publisher, university press, scholarly or professional organization, government agency, individual.) Has the research and/or publication been supported financially by a third party? (Government agency, foundation, corporation.)	Who created the site or document? Is there a name and contact information? What are the qualifications of the creator? (Consider education, employment record, relevant experience, current affiliations, publication record.) Who hosts or sponsors the site? (Scholarly or professional organization, educational institution, government agency, commercial enterprise, individual.) Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of the sponsor? (Look for a mailing address or telephone number.)
Accuracy	Is the information presented factual and complete? Is the source of the information well-documented? Is the writing clear and free of spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors? Has the document undergone prepublication editorial or peer review?	Is the information presented factual and complete? Is the source of the information well-documented? Do links provided in the document connect to reliable sources? Is the writing clear and free of spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors? Has the document undergone prepublication editorial or peer review?
Timeliness	Is the date of publication appropriate for the research topic? (Are you looking for current events or historical information, or does it matter?)	Is the creation date appropriate for the research topic? When was the site last updated? Are there many broken links?
Scope/Coverage	What is the purpose of the document? (Present new research, inform, educate, entertain, persuade, sell, complain...) Who is the intended audience? (Scholars in the field, undergraduates, general public...) How broad or focused is the range of topics covered? Does the publication provide an introduction to the topic or an in-depth treatment? What time period is covered?	What is the purpose of the document? (Present new research, inform, educate, entertain, persuade, sell, complain...) Who is the intended audience? (Scholars in the field, undergraduates, general public...) How broad or focused is the range of topics covered? Does the publication provide an introduction to the topic or an in-depth treatment? What time period is covered?
Objectivity	Are all sides of the issue presented? How might the author's bias affect the content? How might the editorial policies of the publisher affect the content? How might the mission of agencies providing grant support affect the content? Are there advertisements in the publication? Might the advertisers influence the content?	Are all sides of the issue presented? How might the author's bias affect the content? How might the editorial policies of the publisher affect the content? How might the mission of agencies providing grant support affect the content? Are there advertisements in the site? Might the advertisers influence the content?

In a 2004 article*, Marc Meola points out that the internal characteristics provided in checklists such as the above are insufficient for Web site evaluation. He prefers a contextual approach that uses information external to the Web site in order to evaluate. Meola suggests the following three techniques:

Emphasize the use of subscription-based, peer- and editorially-reviewed Web sites provided by the library to retrieve authoritative information.
Compare Web sites to each other and to reviewed print resources to determine the depth of the information available and to reveal areas of controversy and disagreement.
Corroborate information from varied and reviewed sources to increase the probability that the information is reliable.

* Marc Meola, “Chucking the Checklist: A Contextual Approach to Teaching Undergraduates Web-Site Evaluation,” portal: Libraries and the Academy 4,3 (2004): 331-344. http://www.tcnj.edu/~meolam/documents/Chucking_003.pdf (accessed November 20, 2007).


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