Internet Resources - King's College - D. Leonard Corgan Library

     Searching for information on the Internet is a popular method of student research. Literally millions of web sites are available at the tap of a few keystrokes.

     Consequently, researchers may find it difficult to tell the good, useful information from the data that may be false, misleading, or fabricated.

     Consider this when using the web:

ANYONE can publish almost any kind of information on the Web. The secret is being able to distinguish between John Hopkins the 7th grader and Johns Hopkins University.

Periodical databases are available on the King's College library web site and can also be accessed off campus. These databases contain articles that are critiqued and evaluated by scholars and editors before publication. Therefore, the information is both accurate and useful. A higher percentage of valuable information is available from these databases than from those found on the Internet.

Scholarly articles are rarely available for free on the Web. Most, however, are readily available in the college's periodical databases.

How To Evaluate Internet-based Information

Every web site should contain evidence that measures its validity. However, many will not meet each and every criteria. But enough of them should be present to enable you to make a good value judgment

concerning the validity of the site.

The criteria in the table below provides guidelines for determining if a site is a reliable source of information.

	Criteria	Rationale	How Can I Tell?
Authority	Is the page signed? Are the author's qualifications available? Does s/he have expertise in this subject? Is the author associated with an educational institution or other reputable organization? Does the publisher or publication have a reputation for reliability? Is contact information for the author or group available on the site?	It's often hard to determine a web page's authorship. Unlike traditional print resources, Web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers. There are no standards for information on the web which would ensure that all information there is accurate and useful. People create web pages for different reasons: Personal Advocacy Commercial/Marketing Informational	Look at the top and bottom of the web page for clues. Use Whois.com to determine the page's owner. Is there a link to a main web site for the group/educational institution/ organization hosting this web page? Look at the URL for the web page. Does it contain .org? .edu? .gov? .net? .com? Does the author(s) or host(s) have a web page explaining their mission and philosophy and who they are? Consult a Reference Librarian if information about the publisher is available

Coverage	Is the information relevant to your topic? Do you think it may be useful to you? Does this page have information not found elsewhere? How in-depth is the material?	Web coverage often differs from print coverage in scope and breadth of information. Frequently it's difficult to determine the extent of coverage. Sometimes web information is purely subjective, anecdotal, or just-for-fun.	Read through/scan the web page and decide if the content is what you need. Consult a Reference Librarian to determine if the information you have can be verified elsewhere.

Objectivity	Is the information heavily biased? Is the page a presentation of facts and not designed to sway opinion? Is the page free of advertisements or sponsored links?	Often, the goals of the sponsor(s)/author(s) are not clear stated. A web site can be a soapbox to present a jaded opinion or a rally for a particular cause. The content of the page may be influenced by the advertiser.	Read through/scan the web page for bias and objectivity. Does web page contain a mission statement or the identity of the author(s) or host9s)? See what other websites link to the site in question. (Google link: is one method to use.) Consult a Reference Librarian to learn more about the author/ company/ organization.

Accuracy	Is the information reliable and error-free? Can you find when was the last update? Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information? Is the page free of spelling mistakes or other obvious problems?	Anyone can publish anything on the Web. Unlike traditional print resources, Web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers. Currently, no Web standards exist to ensure accuracy.	Read through/scan the Web page and consider the accuracy of the site. Ask a Reference Librarian if the information you have found can be verified elsewhere.

Currency	Does the page contain a date of publication or copyright? Can you find when was the last revision or update? Are the links current and do they point to existing pages? Does the material within the site contain dated information?	Publication or revision dates are not always provided. Pages with broken links may not be updated regularly. If a date is provided, it may have various meanings. For example it may indicate when the material: was first written. was first placed on the Web. was last updated.	Look at the footer to see if the author has included a date. Scan through the bibliography or list of references (be concerned if there isn't one!) and see how current each item is. e.g. Cool, Joe. (1975) "Current flying practices." Canine Aviation 32(3):23-40. Read through and scan the text to see if the author attributes information/facts to a particular year. e.g. "in 1997, 35 car accidents were caused by chickens crossing the road."

A concise reference guide for evaluating web-based information is available at the Checklist for the Evaluating Web Sites.

For detailed information concerning criteria for evaluating a variety Internet sources, see Evaluation of Information Sources, The World-Wide Web Virtual Library.

Adapted with permission
from Virginia Tech Libraries,
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
for
King's College,
Wilkes-Barre, PA, 18711
Rev. 8/07

Criteria

Rationale

How Can I Tell?

Authority

Coverage

Objectivity

Accuracy

Currency