Evaluating Online Information--Fact or Fiction?

To help you evaluate information critically, we offer some guidelines:

The first test involves authorship. Have you heard of the writer before? What is the reputation of the writer? Is he or she an acknowledged expert in this particular subject area? An article about the broadcasting industry written by Brian Williams will carry more credence than one by a rookie newscaster or blogger.

Most professional publications, including newspapers, magazines and trade journals credit the writer. Is there biographical information about this person? Is there a way to contact the writer (a phone number, mailing address or e-mail address) should you want additional information? Information presented anonymously should arouse suspicion.

On a more technical level, how well written is the article? Is it grammatically correct? Are there spelling errors? This may sound trivial, but it does give some indication whether the writer is a professional or an amateur and if the article was reviewed and edited.

Since some articles on the Web may not attribute the writer, the next criterion to evaluate is the publisher of the website. Is this an organization you've heard of before? Does it have a presence in the real world, such as The New York Times and BBC? To assure accuracy, reputable publishers fact-check articles. Professional journals usually require peer review of articles.

Many publications, particularly blogs, just exist electronically. If this is the case, what can you find out about the publisher? What qualifies it to write about the subject? Does it have expertise in this area? This leads to the next criterion.

Rarely is information completely neutral; usually there's a point of view, maybe even a hidden agenda. Because it's so easy to publish on the Internet, opinions abound. Always consider the source of the information. For instance, articles you find on a corporate website most likely promote the interests of the company. Regard these as advertisements, not objective analysis. Likewise, information on a political website promotes the interests of the party and its candidates. Don't expect opponents to be treated fairly.

Does the author cite other sources of information in the article? Are these sources reputable ones? Can you go to these sources to verify the information? Answers to these questions will help you decide on the reliability of the document in question.

Finally, online documents should include the date when they were written or when they were last updated. It's important to know the timeliness of the information, because newer, more relevant information may exist elsewhere.

For further discussion of this issue, visit the World Wide Web Virtual Library, which contains an excellent set of resources for evaluating Internet information.

Last update: Jan 18, 2010