The Internet for Research

The Internet is only one source of information. What it holds is not structured or organised; searching can be very time-consuming.
Try other sources first.

Libraries - books, journals, etc

Databases and printed indexes

Original research

Be Aware.....

Use the same evaluation techniques for Internet sources as you would for a book or article. Consider the following points:

• Anyone can publish on the Internet. It's a Virtual Soapbox
• Work is not assessed or quality checked by a publisher
• You must judge the intended audience of the information
• Scholars
• General public
• High school students
• Children

To avoid plagiarism, you must cite information you have used from the Internet in your bibliography or list of references.

Indicators of Quality

An identifiable author	Does the information have an author? Has the work been 'signed'? If so, is there any information on the author's qualifications, educational background, past writings, etc? Has the author been mentioned by your lecturer? Can you identify an institution, if any, to which the author belongs? Is contact information for the author included?
Credentials / Responsibility	Do you know who authorised the publication, i.e. the publisher? Is the page self-published? Check the author's intentions for the page. Look at the URL (web address) for any information you find. Are you looking at a Web page hosted by: an educational institution a commercial site a government department an organisation or is the information a personal Web page, unconnected to any group or official body? Is the site biased? Check links to other sites provided by the page. Are the institutional or organisational values and/or goals made clear in the Home Pages?
Type of information	Does the information tie in with other information you have on the topic? Are conclusions drawn based soundly on evidence presented? Be sceptical if views or conclusions differ radically from those you have found elsewhere. Does the text use graphs, photographs, images, etc. well?
Scope	Are all aspects of the subject covered in the document? Look at the level of detail. What time period (if any) is covered in the document?
Purpose of Web page	Has the document come from an official electronic journal or publisher? If self-published, is the text personal rather than objective in tone? Does it support an official group? e.g. Greenpeace What is the intended audience? Is it entertainment? Be aware of "Zines", "Fanzines" etc. Is the page trying to sell you something? Does the site contain the information or does it constantly link to other sites?
Writing style	Is the format and length used appropriate for the level of information? Is the text well-written? Is the style appropriate for the type of information, e.g. analytical, discriptive, narrative, etc.
Language used	Is the language used: elementary inflammatory, sensational, emotional? serious - the language commonly used in the discipline?
Date	Has the author dated the article? Has the information ever been updated? A Web page date can mean: the date the document was first written the date the document was placed on the Web the date the document was last revised Will the page remain long term on the Web?       (For example, larger institutions are more likely to maintain sites.       Sites created by individuals are less likely to be maintained.       The average life of an internet page is less than 50 days.)
Bibliography	Does the page have a bibliography? What type of references have been used to support the document scholarly? popular?


Some Useful Internet Sites

Gateway to Cornell University Library Research Strategy and Process : Evaluating Research Materials : Evaluating Web Resources	http://campusgw.library.cornell.edu/t/help/ res_strategy/evaluating/evaluate.html
Deakin University Library. Smart web searching and evaluating Includes other WWW sites on evaluation and assessment	http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/findout/research/ searchindex.php
Getting it Right: shortcuts for Busy Practitioners to Evaluate Web Content by Paul Petruccelli A feature article from LLRX. Appellate e-filing	http://www.llrx.com/features/getright.htm
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly or Why it's a good idea to evaluate web sources Includes Examples, Suggestions, Criteria, Bibliography	http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html
The Sheridan Libraries of the Johns Hopkins University Evaluating Information Found on the Internet	http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/ evaluating/index.html
UC Berkeley Library - Evaluating web pages Evaluating Web Pages: Experience Why It's Important Teaching Library Internet Workshops Why and how	http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/ Internet/Evaluate.html
UCLA College Library - Thinking critically about World Wide Web Resources by Esther Grassian. The World Wide Web has a lot to offer, but not all sources are equally valuable or reliable. Here are some points to consider...	http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/ college/help/critical/index.htm
Virginia Tech University Libraries: Bibliography on evaluating web information This bibliography, originally created for a panel discussion at a regional conference in Wisconsin, has grown with the increasing number of documents which address the problems and issues related to teaching and using critical thinking skills to evaluate Internet resources. Includes a link to an interactive module on evaluating web resources provides practice web sites.	http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/evaluate/
Widener University. Wolfgram Memorial Library Evaluate Web Pages and Original Web Resource Evaluation Module by Jan Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate	http://www3.widener.edu/Academics/Libraries/ Wolfgram_Memorial_Library/Evaluate_Web_Pages/659/


How to Cite Internet Sources

Follow the style recommended by your Department or Lecturer.
The UQ Library has citation guides available for the various styles from the "How-to" guides web page including AGPS Style, APA Style MLA Style and Vancouver Style.

You will always need:

• Author's full name as shown on Web page (if present)
• Full title
• Publisher (if known)
• Date the page was last updated
• Date you accessed the Web page
• URL (= the Internet address of the page - found in the location box)

Ask at the Information Desk in any Branch Library

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