Abstract
How do you decide what is accurate and what is false on the
internet? How do you determine who is being honest and presenting accurate
information? What makes them credible?
In evaluating web content it is important to understand there are no absolute
answers; some content is good, some is great, and some is insupportable. There
are tools available to help us evaluate this content and we must build our own
toolbox to filter the mass of content available on the internet.
Treatment
In the 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile starring Julia Roberts,
there is a particular scene where she challenges them with the question of, “what
is art?”
(see clip). Her goal is to get them to go beyond what is written in a text book
and to really question what it is that makes good art. On a larger scale, the
sea of information available on the web must be treated in a similar way.
When evaluating web content it is important to be skeptical
and recognize that there is not a set of information out there that is 100%
honest; there is no website of absolute truths. What is available will fit
somewhere along a sliding scale from
realistic, honest, and scientifically sound to absolute slander, bias,
and prejudice. (Harris, 2010) This does not
mean that, for the author, the information presented isn’t true in their mind.
One must look at the motivations of the author and the corroborative quality of
the information to determine the legitimacy for their own purpose. An author
who writes a website on the history of Martin Luther King from the perspective
of white supremacy is presenting their view of the world as fact. From a
scientific point of view this is unreliable and inaccurate; however if you hold
similar views as the author this would be a reliable site. It is important to
be cognizant of the author as well as the editors of web content to determine
where the information may fit along the scale of truth.
Additionally, we can
no longer judge a book by its cover – high school students are capable of putting
a website together that can have the appearance of a legitimate company or
organization and that usually has a high quality of aesthetic composition which
often supports the legitimacy of the site. (Jost, 2008, p. 631) Given this consideration
and those addressed above, how does a researcher gauge the quality of information
on the internet?
Using a combined approach of the tools and resources available
will help to determine if what is being presented is, in fact, quality
information. Examples of these tools and resources are outlined in sources such
as Evaluating Internet Research Sources
on virtualsalt.com (Harris, 2010);
easywhoisit.com; How to Identify and Avoid Spreading Misinformation,
Myths, and Urban Legends on the Internet on lifehacker.com (Pash, 2011); and
Michael Shermer’s Boloney Detection kit (2009). Each of these resources
emphasise the importance of a balanced, skeptical approach. The most
comprehensive yet simplified example of an evaluation tool is Richard Harris’s Summary
of the CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation in his article on
virtualsalt.com.
Summary
of the CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation
|
Credibility
|
trustworthy
source, author’s credentials, evidence of quality control, known or respected
authority, organizational support. Goal: an authoritative source, a source
that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.
|
|
Accuracy
|
up to date,
factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect
intentions of completeness and accuracy. Goal: a source that is correct today
(not yesterday), a source that gives the whole truth.
|
|
Reasonableness
|
fair,
balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies
or slanted tone. Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and
reasonably, concerned with the truth.
|
|
Support
|
listed
sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation
supplied. Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for the claims
made, a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources that
support it).
|
Conclusion
There is a vast array of information available on the
internet. When searching for legitimate, accurate information, it is important
to recognize that the reliability of what is available can be placed somewhere
in a sliding scale between truth and fallacy. The role of a researcher is to
know and understand what tools and resources can be accessed online, tangibly, and
as a critical thinker, to evaluate information to determine its legitimacy.
Resources
Harris, R. (2010)
Evaluating Internet Research Sources. Retrieved from http://virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
Jost, K. (2008). Internet accuracy: Is information on the web reliable?. CQ Researcher, 18 (27), 627-648
Pash, A.
(2011). How to Identify and Avoid
Spreading Misinformation, Myths, and Urban Legends on the Internet. Retrieved
from http://lifehacker.com/5798308/how-to-identify-and-avoid-spreading-misinformation-myths-and-urban-legends-on-the-internet
Shermer, M. (2009)
Boloney Detection Kit. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
Upper Branch Productions. Retrieved from http://www.committedsardine.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=181
(2003). Mona
Lisa Smile. [WebVideo]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2RqJIXFpYw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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