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LIR10: EVALUATING

Information Sources

LIR10: EVALUATING

Why is evaluation so necessary?

  Huge quantity of information to sift through (Information Explosion)

  Unregulated publishing of information particularly on the Internet

  Large number of biased or less-than-objective information sources

LIR10: EVALUATING

How can critical evaluation help your research project? Evaluation allows you to:

  Pinpoint sources that are reliable and suitable for your research project

  Use specific criteria for judging accuracy and quality

  Detect indicators of questionable information sources   Demonstrate the thoroughness of your research to

your readers

LIR10: EVALUATING

Where to start an evaluation   Do a quick assessment of a source from the basic

citation   Look at the written description of your source:

•  Author

•  Title •  Publication Information

  Decide if the source works for your research needs •  Author: Is this author a respected authority or someone you

recognize earlier research? •  Title: Does it appear to be an overview or in-depth •  Publication information: is it scholarly or popular?

LIR10: EVALUATING

Citation assessment: #1

LIR10: EVALUATING

Citation assessment: #2

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LIR10: EVALUATING

Citation assessment: #3

LIR10: EVALUATING

General Evaluation Criteria for all Sources S T A R T   SCOPE/COVERAGE/PURPOSE

= Range and level of detail   TREATMENT/RELIABILITY/QUALITY

= Trustworthiness and accuracy   AUTHORITY

= Author's background or experience   RELEVANCE

= Appropriate content for your research

  TIMELINESS/CURRENCY = Relevance of the publication date

LIR10: EVALUATING

How to evaluate SCOPE Important aspects to consider:

  Intended audience (scholars, public)

  Level of the information (advanced, basic)

  Information coverage (in-depth, general)   Specialized/technical language (understandable or not?)   Focus on a particular time period, geographic region,

group of people   What was the author’s purpose?   Primary or secondary source   Does the source contribute new information to your

existing research? LIR10: EVALUATING

LIR10: EVALUATING

How to evaluate TREATMENT Consider the following:

  Valid and well-researched information (based on what you already know)

  Information comparable to facts from other sources

  Verifiable facts through footnotes or references   Clearly-presented charts, diagrams, statistical data   Complete work or an excerpt   Are you confident that this is high-quality information?   Grammatically-correct and error-free writing?   Objective or biased? Does the author have a goal?

LIR10: EVALUATING

How to evaluate AUTHORITY You should check for the following:   Author’s background, experience and expertise

  Author’s affiliation (respected organization or university?)

  Previously published material in scholarly journals   Author listed in a reputable biographical source

(Who’s Who)   Reputable publisher (University Press, Journal)   Revised or later edition of a book

http://www.google.com "Jennifer Decesaro" biography

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LIR10: EVALUATING

How to evaluate RELEVANCE   Is the information relevant for your current research

project?

  Is it too general, narrow or off-topic?

  Does it work for the level of research information you need (scholarly vs. popular)

LIR10: EVALUATING

How to evaluate TIMELINESS   Find the date the information was created, published,

compiled

  Look for evidence of regularly updates

  Ask whether currency is important to the subject matter (e.g. scientific research may require up-to-date information)

  Decide if the information is current or out-of-date for your topic

  See if more recent information is available

LIR10: EVALUATING LIR10: EVALUATING

Web Sites Some additional concerns…

LIR10: EVALUATING

Why do web sites need special attention?   Anyone can publish a web page   There is a huge quantity of information on the Internet

(Example: in 1998 study): •  83% contains commercial content •  6% contains scientific or educational content •  2.8% contains health content •  1.2% contains government content •  Etc.

  The quality of information is varied •  Large amount of inaccurate, obsolete or biased information

LIR10: EVALUATING

How to Check AUTHORITY

  Look for the name of the author/site owner on the page

  Look for contact information on the page (e-mail, address, phone number)

  Check the ABOUT page (if there is one)

  Look up the author in a biographical source or Google   http://www.globalissues.org/issue/178/climate-

change-and-global-warming   http://www.global-warming-and-the-climate.com/

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LIR10: EVALUATING

How to Check AUTHORITY   Check who registered the site: (http://

betterwhois.com)   Interpret the site’s URL

  http://www.amazon.com/   http://www.santarosa.edu/   http://www.americanheart.org/   http://www.fda.gov/

  Find out if reputable sites link to this site

  Look for the site in a reputable subject directory   http://www.ipl.org

LIR10: EVALUATING

How to evaluate BIAS Look for the following:   A particular bias or slant

  Evidence of inflammatory or subjective language

  Distorted facts (based on research you’ve done so far)   Missing facts or data   Overstressed points or ideas   Author affiliation with an organization known for a

certain point of view

http://suppressednews.com/

LIR10: EVALUATING

Web Site Evaluation Let’s evaluate two sites:

Go to: http://www.santarosa.edu/~kthornle/10thurs/LIR10_Week4Activity.html http://www.cok.net/lit/madcow.php

http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/mad-cow-disease-in-cattle-and-human-beings/1

•  Scope/Coverage •  Treatment/reliability •  Authority

•  Relevance •  Timeliness/Currency •  Bias

LIR10: EVALUATING