IS THE INTERNET A GOOD TOOL FOR RESEARCH?
The answer to this question is a “yes, but…”. It is very important that you learn how to read websites with a critical eye. In other words, you must keep in mind that much of what you see on the Internet is NOT intended to be used as a source for a research paper. You must read critically to determine if the website is a good source or not.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: How to Evaluate Websites for Research
To help you figure out if a website is a credible source for your research paper, think about the following criteria:
AUTHORITY:
Who are the authors? Who is responsible for it? What expertise does the author or the group has on this topic? Hint: Type in the author or group into Google to see what else that person or group has written or what else has been said about that group and/or person.
ACCURACY:
How do you know that the information you see on this website is accurate? Is there a bibliography? Where did the authors get the information they presented on the website?
OBJECTIVITY:
What is the purpose of this site? To inform the reader? To persuade the reader? To entertain the reader?
What is the author’s point of view? How much bias is presented?
CURRENCY:
When was the information on this page originally written? When was the site last updated?
OTHER POINTS TO CONSIDER………
How readable is the website?
Is the language too confusing or too advanced to understand?
Consider grammar and spelling
A website loses immediate credibility if words are misspelled or if the grammar is not correct.
Are the links on the website still active or are they broken?
Broken links might mean that the website is not updated on a regular basis.
Does the website contain editable content?
Does it allow readers to comment directly on the page? If so, who checks the accuracy of their contributions?
Consider the advertisements
A webpage with too many distracting advertisements might make the website lose credibility.