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Evaluating Information Resources

Learn about:

Criteria used to evaluate print and Internet information resources, differences between online and Internet resources, characteristics of scholarly vs. popular periodicals, and the scholarly publication cycle.

Evaluating information sources is a important part of the research process.  Not all information is reliable or true, nor will all information be suitable for your paper or project.  Print and Internet sources vary widely in their authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage.  Users must be able to critically evaluate the appropriateness of all types of information sources prior to relying on the information.

The Internet, particularly its biggest component, the World Wide Web, has surpassed most libraries in the quantity of information it makes available.  However, the Web has not surpassed libraries in the overall quality of information it makes available.  Traditionally, a main component of library collections have been print (paper) materials.  Today, however, many online resources are being added to supplement collections, replace printed (paper) items, or improve access.  Although online sources are accessible via the Internet or Web, most originated in paper form and follow the same publication criteria.  Therefore the quality of print and online information sources are similar and will be considered the same in this discussion.  A look at a few characteristics of print and Internet sources will identify major quality distinctions between print and Internet information sources.

Print Sources vs. World Wide Web

• Quality standards of printed materials are controlled through a system of checks and balances imposed by peer review, editors, publishers, and librarians, all of whom manage and control access to printed information.  This assures that published materials have been through some form of critical review and evaluation, preventing informal, poorly designed, difficult-to-use and otherwise problematic materials from ever getting into the hands of users.

• In academic and other research libraries, most books and periodicals are a product of the scholarly communication system .  This system ensures that authors present information in an orderly and logical manner appropriate to the topic.

• Printed information in books and periodicals follows established linear formats for logical and effective organization.

• Materials in printed form are stable.  Once in print, information remains fixed for all time.  New editions and revisions often are published, but these are separate and distinct physical entities that can be placed side by side with the originals.

• On the web, anyone can, with no supervision or review at all, put up a web page.

• On the Web, there is nosystematic monitoring of much of what appears, except, of course, for articles published in the online forms of otherwise reputable scholarly journals and books.  Biases, hidden agendas, distorted perspectives, commercial promotions, inaccuracies, and so on are not monitored.

• There is no standard format for Web sites and documents.  And web pages exhibit fewer clues regarding their origins and authoritativeness than print sources.  Important information, such as dates, author(s), references and alike are not always easy to locate.  While a reader can easily note this information in a book or periodical article, the Web user must often search through several pages, if the information is provided at all.

• Internet sources are also not stable.  Web documents can be changed easily.  And once changed, the original is gone forever unless a specific effort is made to preserve it.  In fact, many Web documents are intentionally designed to change as necessary, and with automatic changes as with manual changes, the original disappears.

• Web resources use hypertext links and need not be organized in any linear fashion.  One can easily be led astray and distracted from the topic at hand.  But, of course, one can also be led to additional information of value.

• The changing nature of the Web and Web documents create major problems with the stability of information and with links between different units of information.  Dead or broken and links on the Web are common and others just disappear or are not updated.

For print sources, quality control is sought through critical evaluation during the publication process.  However, on the Web, anyone with access to the Internet can publish.  Web pages are easy to create with little or no training.  And there is no overriding organization or governing body ensuring the validity of Web page content.  There is a good deal of high-quality information on the Web, but there is also much that is of questionable quality.  Do not assume that information on the Web is more current or accurate.  Each web page will have to be examined critically.

It is the user's responsibility to evaluate information sources, in print and on the Web, that they find during the research process before using it in a paper or other presentation.

For this brief introduction to evaluating resources in LS101, we will use a list of five critical criteria.  You might want to remember AAOCC (Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage) , if for no other reason than you might be asked to list these criteria and describe them briefly.  The same basic questions should be asked of all information sources: books, journal articles, web pages, CD-ROMs, videos, sound recordings and e-books.
 

5 Criteria for Evaluating Resources:  AAOCC

• Who is the author or creator (who is responsible for the intellectual content) and what are his or her credentials?  Is there any indication of the author's education, other publications, professional affiliations or experience in the topic written about?
• Is there a note or paragraph in the back of the book or on the jacket (cover, jewel case, or supplementary brochure) describing the author's credentials?
• Is the author's e-mail address, postal address or phone number provided?
• Has the author been cited in other bibliographies?
• Sometimes information about an author is available in sources other than the document at hand.  Instructors assigning research topics might focus on a particular author.  Many authors can be looked up in such resources as
  • Who's Who in America
  • Current Biography (Databases for Alaskans - Academic Search Premiere)
  • The International Who's Who
  • Who's Who in Science and Engineering
  • American Men & Women of Science
  • Who's Who in the World
  • Dictionary of Scientific Biography
  • Look for additional information in directories of Professional Associations or Biography Index (FirstSearch)

** Noted resources are accessible via the Alphabetical List of Online Resources at the Rasmuson Library web page .

For Web sites:

• Be sure to distinguish between the author of the information and, if separate, the Webmaster who put it up.
• In the case of Web material provided by committees, organizations, businesses, or government agencies (rather than individuals), similar questions concerning the authority of these bodies need to be asked.  Be sure to consider whether information provided by corporate bodies is likely to be objective, factual and carefully researched or whether it is biased toward the particular objectives of those bodies or the causes, movements or agendas they support.
• Analysis of the URL provides some indication of identity of the web site sponsor. 
• Look for an "about us" or "FAQ" (frequently asked questions) page.

2. Accuracy / Quality

• Is the information provided specific?
• For research on any topic dealing with things and events in the real world, accuracy is, obviously, of highest importance.  Data and information must be based on observations, measurements, analyses, interpretations and conclusions agreeable to intelligent and relatively unbiased human beings.  In the arts, humanities and religion where imagination is the primary creative force, accuracy is still important in recording names, dates and places that creative works, ideas, and opinions originated from.
• In all cases, with all information materials, accuracy appropriate to the topic at hand should be verifiable, whether in the nature of the presentation, with available supporting documentation, or both.  Are conclusions based on research or actual figures that can be checked in other sources?
• Are methods of research explained in such a way that it could reproduced?
• Are sources of information listed in foot/end notes, bibliographies, or lists of references?  How reliable are the cited sources?
• Are critical reviews available (for books, films, literature, music, art)?  Check resources such as

• Book Review Index
• FirstSearch (Book Review Digest, Humanities Index, Social Sciences Index, MLA Bibliography, Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature , etc.)
• Databases for Alaskans (Academic Search Elite)
• Gales Literature Resource Center

• Does the article appear in a scholarly journal, peer-reviewed or refereed?  The type of source can often be identified by its format.  Review the tips for identifying Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals .

For Web Sites:

• High-quality writing, including good format, grammar, spelling and punctuation, can enhance the appearance of accuracy and bolster a reader's confidence in the accuracy and reliability of a Web document

3. Objectivity

• Authors often have their own agendas, whether to sell products, influence legislation or capture converts.  There probably is no absolute objectivity upon which everyone could agree.  When using any information resource, you must decide whether the information is sufficiently objective for the topic and purpose at hand or whether it is biased.  Of course a highly biased presentation can be considered in objective scholarly research as long as that bias is described and weighed against alternative views or interpretations.
• Is there any advertising (including solicitations for donations) associated with the source?
• Does the author provide more than one point of view?
• Does the writing use inflammatory or biased language.

4. Currency

• Currency is especially important in the sciences where new developments occur frequently.
• In the arts and humanities, currency needs to be judged as appropriate.  In some cases, a study written years ago may be essential to understanding.
• Consider whether or not the timeliness of the information will affect its usefulness.
• In all cases, there should be some indication of the date of the material.  If research results are given, consider not only the date of the publication but also when the research was actually conducted.

For Web sites:

• Obviously it is important for information found on the Web to be up-to-date.  However, its appearance on the Web is not a guarantee it is.
• There should be some indication of the date of the material, as in the "last updated" statement at the end of many Web documents.  Be aware that the "Last updated" date of the web page may differ from date of the intellectual content of the page.  This may mean checking three dates, the date the page was last updated or posted to the web, the date of publication, and the date of the research or statistics used.

5. Coverage

• Decide whether the information source adequately covers the topic.  It is too easy to go with one or two documents that seem otherwise to be of value but which really cover the topic only partly or marginally.  Unless one has already a good sense for the breadth of a topic, one should invest a little more effort toward assuring the material at hand adequately covers it.
• Consider how coverage from one source compares with coverage by other sources.
• Look for a statement describing the purpose or coverage of the source and consider if the information is in-depth enough for your needs.
• Does the information source leave questions unanswered (ask the "five W's and H" to check:  who, what, when, where, why and how)?

Optional Reading:

Evaluating Information Found on the Internet  (optional) from John Hopkins University.

Material may be quoted or reproduced for educational purposes without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given. Any commercial use of the material is prohibited without prior permission from the Rasmuson Library.

Revised: 08/01, S. Hahn and E. Moore

Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, 310 Tanana Drive, University of Alaska Fairbanks USA 99775-6800, (907) 474-7481