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Internet & Evaluation
Frederic Murray Frederic Murray Assistant ProfessorAssistant ProfessorMLIS, University of British ColumbiaMLIS, University of British ColumbiaBA, Political Science, University of IowaBA, Political Science, University of Iowa
Instructional Services LibrarianInstructional Services LibrarianAl Harris Library Al Harris Library [email protected]
The Internet is…
• a worldwide collection of computer networks
• ubiquitous
Web Searching is easy because…..• Speed• Choice• Availability 24/7
• Always get an answer
Web searching is difficult because …
• Organization• Quality control• Reliability
Anatomy of a URL
Web Evaluation Techniques
• Domain name appropriate for the content ?
• Restricted: edu, gov, mil, a few country codes (ca)
• Unrestricted: com, org, net, most country codes (us, uk)
Domain Names
• Which one is right?– www.whitehouse.c
om– www.whitehouse.g
ov– www.whitehouse.n
et– www.whitehouse.or
g
• Whois.net– www.whois.net
• .gov• .org• .mil• .com• .edu• .net• .int
Indicates a reliable domain name
Web Evaluation Techniques
• Published by an entity that makes sense ?
• News from its source? www.nytimes.com
• Advice from valid agency? www.nih.gov/www.nimh.nih.gov/
Remember to Evaluate!!!• Authority
– Who created it? Who is responsible?– What credentials do they hold? What makes
them qualified to discuss the topic?• Accuracy
– Can the information be verified?– Check the facts!
• Objectivity– How is the information being presented?– Is it objective or biased? What’s the point of
view?• Currency (important based on subject)
– When was it published?– When was it last updated?
Step 1: Authority
• Web Pages–
Credentials/Qualifications/Reputation– Who is responsible for content?
• Is it a commercial site?• Is it a government site?• Is it an education site?
Step 1: Authority: Questions
1. Who is responsible for the content? Domain name? What does this indicate?
2. If you don't recognize the name, or there is no name, what type of information is given about the contact information? - Position? - Organizational affiliation? - E-mail address? - Biographical information?
Step 2: Accuracy
• Web Pages– Can the information be verified?
• Links to credible sites• Copyright• Works Cited• Fact check with a printed source
Step 2: Accuracy
1. Does the website cite sources used to present its information? What type of sources are they? Scholarly? Popular?
2. Is it possible to verify the legitimacy of these sources?
3. If the site is research-based, does the website clearly identify the method of research and the data gathered?
Step 3: Objectivity
Biased or Objective?• Sponsoring Organization• Agendas• Political Propaganda• Web hostinghttp://english.aljazeera.net/News http://www.foxnews.com/ http://www.npr.org/
Do you trust the author or organization providing the information?
Step 3: Objectivity
Do you trust the author or organization providing the information?
Determine what is the aim of the author or organization publishing the site.
What is the purpose of the web site?
1. Is it advertisement for a product or service?2. Is it for political purposes?3. Is it trying to sway public opinion on a social
issue?
Step 4: Currency
• Web Pages– When was it created and last
updated?• Well maintained web sites have an
indication when it was last updated or modified
• Accessibility– Dead links
• Stability– Changes URLs frequently
Step 4: Currency
1. Is a date clearly displayed?2. Can you determine what the date refers to?
When the page was first written?When the page was first posted on the Internet?When the page was last revised or
updated?The copyright date?
3. Are the resources used by the author current?4. Does the page content demand routine or
continual updating or revision?5. Do the links on the page point to the correct
Internet site addresses?
Remember to Evaluate!!!• Authority
– Who created it? Who is responsible?– What credentials do they hold? What makes
them qualified to discuss the topic?• Accuracy
– Can the information be verified?– Check the facts!
• Objectivity– How is the information being presented?– Is it objective or biased? What’s the point of
view?• Currency (important based on subject)
– When was it published?– When was it last updated?
Exercise: Evaluation Handout• Institute for Historical Review
http://www.ihr.org/ • Boston Dynamics
http://www.bostondynamics.com/
• Havidol http://havidol.com/
• Pinehearst Companyhttp://pinehearstresearch.com/index.shtml
• Investigative Dashboard http://www.investigativedashboard.org/
• Breyer State University
http://breyerstate.com/
• Larry Page & Sergey Brin/ Grad Students 1998
• Mission: "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.“
• 2007: 23 Billion dollar corporation
Google: Improve Your SearchesSite Specific Command
What it does: searches only specific domains
What to type: children's health site:edu
children's health site:gov
Web vs. Library Databases• Web
– Good for current events
– Statistical Information
– Pop Culture– Opinion– Information about
Organizations & Groups
– Need to Evaluate!
• Library Databases– Research Based
Books & Articles– Full-text Resources– Authoritative &
Peer-reviewed Materials
– Information about People & Cultures
– Easier to Search• AND, OR, NOT• Specific Subjects
Google Scholar
• Google Scholar provides a simple way to search for scholarly literature. Search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.
Google Scholar
• Works best for Citations• Restrictions to Content
– Fee-based
– Often your Library already owns material
– We’re working on improving access
– Example: Tribal Colleges
Wikipedia
Wiki: A Web application that allows users to add content to a collaborative hypertext Web resource (coauthoring), as in an Internet forum, and permits others to edit that content
(open editing).
Wikipedia
• Jimmy Wales January 15, 2001• No Original Research• NPOV (Neutral point of view)• No owners, multiple anonymous
authors• Anyone with Internet access can
create or edit an entry…Anyone
Wikipedia
• Contributors: male, English speaking, denizens of the Internet.
• Problem is not that it disregards the facts, but that it elevates them above all else.
• Most of the content is discussion/history of edits & not the entries themselves.
Rosenzweig, Roy. “Can History Be Open Source? Wikipedia and the Future of the
Past.” The Journal of American History 93.1 (2006): 117-146.
Wikipedia
• Participation maps popular, not academic concerns
• It is a working community…but is it a good historical resource?
• Lack of Critical Analysis• Problematic as a sole source of
information • Like all encyclopedias…ok to start,
terrible place to stop. • Benefits are to its active participants,
not its readers.
Writing Your Paper
• Writing Center– Located in the basement of the
library– Call for appointment #774-7083
• MLA Style– Style Sheets– MLA Handbook at Reference &
Circulation Desk– http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
Thanks!
