Evaluating Online Resources

There are several aspects that you should look for in evaluating online resources. You should check:

Who published the content (Authorship)
Where was it published (Publication)
When was it published (Currency and Relevance)
The truthfulness and integrity of the facts (Accuracy)
How it is written and presented (Purpose and Objectivity)
And what references are cited in the article (Links)

1. Authorship

The author of the content is a concern when considering the eligibility of the content. First of all, the author should be an expert on the subject discussed in the article. He should have the credentials to back up his knowledge of the subject matter.

Usually, the information about the author can be found on the website along with the content. The name of the author can be found below the title, on the side of the article, or at the bottom. Sometimes, more information on the author is found below the article, also known as an author’s bio. An author may be credited if he is oftentimes mentioned in other authoritative websites.

Forbes contributor Ian Morris' bio example — Forbes contributor Ian Morris’ bio example.

But, it is not easy to verify an author’s background through the Internet. Website articles and resources rarely have fact-checkers or editors for copyediting an article. Another thing to consider is that authors vary in tone and purpose. Some do it for their personal blog. Other authors are advocates of a cause, while others do it for marketing their product or service.

2. Publication

If the information about the author is not present, the publisher of the resource article can be checked for authority.

Take a quick look at the website. Are you familiar with the publication name? Is the publisher reputable and credible on the subject matter? Look at the website name, its logo, the URL of the website, and other indicators that can prove its reliability on the topic. One quick look at the URL can help you determine if it’s a reliable source or not. Trustworthy websites end in .org, .edu, .gov, or any recognizable web address.

APA.org website is trustworthy — You can consider apa.org website trustworthy

Another way to check the publisher’s site is via its About Us and Contact Us page. These pages will contain information about the publisher. You can countercheck their details by conducting another search.

Reliable websites publish content that is relevant or under the same scope as the resource page that you found. Check how often do they publish content and if they published related content as well. News and publication websites (NYTimes, BBC, The Washington Post, TIME, etc.), are authority sites for facts. Consider the resource’s credibility if the publisher has mentioned or been mentioned by authority sites.

3. Currency and Relevance

In conducting research, the currency and timeliness of data are important in making inferences for data gathering and analyses.

Information changes throughout the years. On the Internet, it’s easy to get lost among the billions of data available at your fingertips. Even academic articles such as thesis and investigative reports can have obsolete data. Out-of-date content has information that is not relevant or applicable in today’s time.

admin January 4, 2022

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Evaluating Online Resources

1. Authorship

2. Publication

3. Currency and Relevance

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1. Authorship

2. Publication

3. Currency and Relevance

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