We are living in the age of information. A lot of it. And, just as not every book may contain accurate information, not every Web site contains accurate information. However, it has been much easier, and less costly, to get information on the worldwide Web than it has been to get it into print. As a result, we are able to access more information than ever before with little effort. For this reason, it's incumbent upon all of us to become savvy users of the Web, and cautious receptors of the information we find there. Use the tools and resources on this page to sharpen your information evaluating skills.
"True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information."
- Winston Churchill
"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
- Oscar Wilde
OCCC Library. (Jan. 9, 2012). Evaluating Websites. [YouTube]. Retrieved July 1, 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6M-ViddtUE
Use this worksheet as a guide to evaluating the Web sites provided in the presentation above. After awhile, evaluating Web sites for such factors as accuracy, bias and currency will become second nature.
Research Skill #5:
How to correctly analyze the information you find on the Web. It's amazing how quickly we've come to depend on information we receive from the worldwide web. Information is provided to us on a wide range of topics at almost lightning speed. But is it always reliable? Whether you're conducting research for a paper, or for personal information, it's important to know how to evaluate a Web site for accuracy and authenticity.
