By: Brad Wilson
Anyone, in theory, can publish on the Web; therefore, it is imperative for users of the Web to develop a critical eye to evaluate the credibility of Internet information. Searching for sources on the internet involves using a search engine, a directory, or some combination of these two. Because there is so much information on the Web, good and bad, finding what you want is not an exact science and can be time consuming. There are things that you have to consider when finding credible resources. Here are a few examples of what to look out for.
1. Is there any evidence that the author of the Web information has some authority in the field about which she or he is providing information? What are the author's qualifications, credentials and connections to the subject?
Does the author have publications in peer reviewed (scholarly and professional) publications, on the Web or in hard copy? (If an author does not have peer reviewed articles published, this does not mean that she or he does not have credible information, only that there has been no professional "test" of the author's authority on that subject.)
Is the Web information current? If there are a number of out-of-date links that do not work or old news, what does this say about the credibility of the information? Websites like Wikipedia don’t update there information or anyone can update anything on there so it is not a credible website.
Looking at the online library I was surprised to find out how many resources they have for us to look at. I think those resources are going to be very helpful for me when I am writing my papers. Good sources for me to look at when writing my papers and finding information to write on.
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