Evaluate Resources

Evaluating Information

Today, information is published in traditional formats as well as new and evolving digital formats. Current web resources include electronic journals, books, news websites, blogs, social media, and location-based services. The coexistence of all of these information formats is messy and chaotic, making the process to find relevant information problematic.   

Look at the News Industry

Many traditional newspapers have shut down or are struggling financially. Elise Shearer (2021) reports that a recent Pew Research survey (completed in September 2020) reports that "when asked which of these platforms they prefer to get news on, roughly half (52%) of Americans say they prefer a digital platform – whether it is a news website (26%), search (12%), social media (11%) or podcasts (3%). About a third say they prefer television (35%), and just 7% and 5% respectively say they prefer to get their news on the radio or via print" (para. 3).

Indeed, online news sites provide a different and, some might argue, a more relevant experience for the reader. They offer video and sound, up-to-the-minute updates on breaking news, and the ability to interact with others by posting comments.

Another important feature of online news is that search engines can deliver content from the sites like the New York Times as part of your search results. Readers don't necessarily have to buy a subscription to read a newspaper's online content. This has both positive and negative consequences. On the positive side, readers can quickly and conveniently obtain information from a variety of sources on a topic or event. Read about NY Times' contributor Andrew Revkin's backtracking journal method to find the truth in news stories. He points to the negative consequence of online news: it is more difficult to evaluate the credibility of the sources, so you have to understand how to evaluate information. 

What about Twitter and blogs? Twitter feeds and blog postings do not provide a lot of information; after all, the maximum length of a tweet is 280 characters. However, social media posts often provide links to more in-depth resources. Mobile technologies like Twitter can be effective tools for engagement, learning, and research. 

Let's begin with decision making. You might not know this, but our decision-making process is learned; we tend to follow a similar approach each time we're confronted with making a decision. Did you know you can enhance and refine that process to be more effective? Read the following article that contains ideas and strategies for making effective decisions.

Shearer, E. (2021, January 12). More than eight-in-ten Americans get news from digital devices. Pew Research Center.  https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/12/more-than-eight-in-ten-americans-get-news-from-digital-devices/

What About Wikipedia?  

Wikipedia is an example of the power of information creation, and it can be useful when researching certain topics, especially technological and popular-culture topics, as well as current events that encyclopedias may not cover. It can also be a helpful starting point to explore a topic and cue you to deeper resources. However, information found in Wikipedia should always be verified using other sources to determine its accuracy. 

Take Note

  • Anyone can author. Unlike with traditional encyclopedias, authors of Wikipedia entries are not required to have expertise in the subject they write about. Authors are rarely identified, and some authors have been known to have lied about their credentials.
  • Anyone can edit. Anyone can change an entry and, generally, neither the original author nor the author of later changes is identified.
  • There is no formal fact-checking. Although site users often correct errors in entries, there is no formal fact-checking process. Many entries are never fact-checked.

For the reasons above, Wikipedia should be used with caution and mindfulness, especially when information sources are not cited, or you are researching topics that may attract extremist views. Sometimes entries on controversial topics have been vandalized by authors to include the posting of misleading or untrue information.

More information about Wikipedia's editorial policies is available on its Who Writes Wikipedia? page. There is more information on using Wikipedia for academic research in the UMGC library tutorial, When Is Wikipedia Useful?

Sometimes the best tools for evaluating information on the internet are common sense and judgment. If you take the time to critically evaluate the material, you will be able to determine its authority, reliability, coverage, and currency.

Evaluating Online Information

This UMGC library video provides some practical guidance for judging the value and validity of information on websites.

The Purdue Online Writing Center (OWL) provides excellent information on how to judge information you find online. The guidance includes explanations about how search engine optimization (SEO) techniques advance certain sites and put information at the top of search results to influence users. People marketing products and services, as well as ideas, use SEO strategies to get and keep users' attention. Strategies may include mixing facts with opinions designed to influence views and behavior. 

Be a savvy consumer of online information. Review it carefully, considering the source, the author, whether other sources are in agreement, and how your biases affect the way you are reading it, among other factors. Evaluating Digital Sources from the OWL is a helpful guide. 

It is important to be as impartial as possible, even though you may have strong opinions on some controversial topics. It is important to be self-aware, accepting that your biases and beliefs may influence your opinion of a source. You should apply the same rigor in evaluating sources regardless of their origins. You can consider the credibility "tests" when you are evaluating sources. Take a few minutes to view Is My Source Credible? It addresses sorting disinformation from truth in the news. 

References

Bernnard, D., Bobish, G., Hecker, J., Holden, I., Hosier, A., Jacobson, T., Loney, T., & Bullis, D. (2014). The information literacy user's guide: An open, online textbook. Open SUNY Textbooks. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/the-information-literacy-users-guide-an-open-online-textbook/ (See https://libguides.umgc.edu/c.php?g=1003870&p=7270666 for more information.)