You must evaluate information sources, both in print and electronic. Here are three guides for exercising judgment at the university level.
>From the Rice University On-Line Writing Lab.A writer who reports on his or her own work in a scholarly journal usually has greater credibility than a science writer in a popular magazine such as Time or Newsweek. In turn, a general interest reporter for a local newspaper might have even less ability to interpret scientific publications. Therefore, when you read or listen to an interesting report presented in a newspaper article or television program, you might also check that report against the primary source: the original research publication. Here are four things to keep in mind:
First, of course, you should judge the credibility and possible bias in the overall publication. A trade journal or manufacturer's newsletter would be likely to stress the ideas most favorable to the industry or company.
Second, consider the writer's credentials. Can you tell who prepared the article or web site? If you can't judge the writer's credentials, you should at least express reservations about his or her knowledge and experience. For example, the author of the website http://darwinsmistake.com/ writes in the first person and presents a general biographical narrative without giving his name or address. He or she wants to be accepted as authoritative, but being unwilling to identify himself or herself should make the website visitor skeptical about the objectivity and expertise of the actual author. Scientists at major institutions and universities are reviewed by their peers; an anonymous website author has no endorsing experts or organization.
Third, find out how recently the information was published. When was the web site last updated, or when was the article published? If you are not consulting a primary source, you may want to find out whether similar ideas or data have been published in the past.
Fourth, how much detailed evidence is presented in the article or website to support claims? Is there a bibliography of the author's sources? Do the claims about the data make sense to you? How complete is the information or argument? A short summary or news brief of 50 to 250 words cannot be as reliable as the original publication or primary source. If you have access to the primary report, you can make better judgments than if you choose information of less reliable character.
From Rice University's Fondren Library Web Site
From Rice University's Fondren Library Web Site
Fondren Library offers the following advice, copied here for your convenience :
Evaluating Internet Resources
1.Look at the URL to determine what type of organization produced the site.
.com is a commercial site.
.edu is an academic site.
.gov is a government site.
.org is usually a non-profit organization.
.net is a networked service provider.
.mil is a military site.
Country/Region-Specific Domain names:A list of various domains such as .uk (United Kingdom) and .de (Germany) are available from NORID (http://www.uninett.no/navn/domreg. html) Remember that a page's country/region of origin does not imply that the page is about that country/region or that it is written in the native language(s) of that country/region.
2. Look at the URL to determine who produced the site (or who posted it, at least).
~name is usually someone's name, or part of their name.
You can try to look them up by partial name and institution in WhoWhere? (http://www.whowhere.com).
3. Consider the following questions.
Is an author listed?
What are the credentials of the author?
Is there a bias or a commercial interest?
Who is the intended audience of the page?
How current is the information?
Are references, citations, or links to other resources included?4. Look at other reviews.
Magellan
http://www.mckinley.com
From Cornell University LibraryDistinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals
http://www.li brary.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill20.html
How to Critically Analyze Information Sources
http://www.lib rary.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill26.htm