| Evaluating Information |
People are seeking information
| Statistics show steady increases each year in the number of people using the Internet to seek information. | |
| They seek information on hugely important subjects, from health to voting to investing their money. |
| People then are using that information to make decisions. | |
| They are making decisions about vacations, health, work, travel, voting and other subjects -- all based on what they find on the Internet. |
| So people are finding information from the Internet and making important decisions. | |
| But what if the information is wrong? | |
| Evaluation is crucial. |
| Outdated information | |
| Inaccuracies and errors | |
| Hate sites and malicious “misinformation” | |
| Disguised marketing at product sites | |
| Biased opinions portrayed as fact |
| Cancer will get you some drug and pharmacy sites | |
| Nutrition will get you some food and industry sites | |
| Martin Luther King will get you some racist sites | |
| Investing will get you some stock broker sites |
Criteria for Evaluation: SCOPE
| Five criteria can help you evaluate information on the Internet | |
| Signatory: who is the publisher? | |
| Currency: is the site updated and timely? | |
| Objective: is the site opinionated, biased? | |
| Purpose: what is the site’s purpose? | |
| Evidence: is the site accurate, verified? |
| Is the author or publisher clearly named on the site? | |
| What are the author’s qualifications for writing or posting the site? | |
| Does the author provide biographical experience? | |
| Is the author an authority? |
| Is the information timely? | |
| Does the content of the work seem up-to-date? | |
| Is the publication date clearly indicated? |
| How objective is the information? | |
| Is the information presented with bias or a strong point of view? | |
| To what extent is the information trying to sway the opinion of the audience? |
| What type of page is it? | |
| What is the purpose of the site? | |
| What are the goals or aims? | |
| To inform? To convince you? To sell you a product? | |
| Types of Page | |
| Advocacy | |
| Business/Marketing | |
| Informational | |
| News | |
| Personal | |
| Entertainment |
| How accurate does the information appear the site? | |
| Is their evidence presented? | |
| Does the information or coverage seem complete? | |
| Are there references? |
| “Let the buyer beware” | |
| Information is readily available on the Internet. | |
| It is up to the buyer – or user – to check that information. | |
| Use the SCOPE criteria to evaluate information on the Internet |