Using & Evaluating Internet Resources

							                          Using & Evaluating Internet Resources

There is a lot of useful information on the web, but sometimes it’s difficult to separate the good from
the not-so-good. When doing research it’s important to evaluate the resource and make sure it fits your
needs. Following are some questions to ask when using information from the Internet:



CURRENCY                      When was the information published or posted?
                              Is the page revised regularly, with the date posted?
                              Are all links active?
RELEVANCE                     Does the information answer your question?
                              Who is the intended audience?
                              Is the information at an appropriate level (not too simple or advanced for
                               your needs)?
AUTHORITY                     Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
                              Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
                              Does the URL reveal anything about the source (.com, .edu, .gov, .org, .net)
ACCURACY                      Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
                              Can you verify the information in another source?
                              Are there spelling, grammar, or typographical errors?
                              Is appropriate documentation provided when the author refers to
                               another’s work?
PURPOSE                       What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell,
                               entertain or persuade?
                              Do the authors make their intentions or purpose clear?
                              Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
                              Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
                              Are there political, religious, personal, or other biases present?


Depending on your information need, you may be better off starting your search in one of the library’s
databases. If you are looking for a current event, pop culture, or images or video clips, you may find
what you need on the web. But if you’re looking for scholarly information, you may want to start your
search using the library’s journal databases.

Sometimes you will be able to find scholarly articles on the web (especially if you use a site such as
Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com), but often you will only be able to access the abstract
(summary) and not the full article without paying a hefty fee. In this case, contact the library (email
libraryill@uiu.edu) with the citation information (article title, journal title, volume, issue, author, date)
and in many cases we will be able to get it in full-text for you, and it won’t cost you anything.