When preparing an academic work, you want to make sure that the sources that you are using are dependable and consistent. Bear in mind: Not all the information that you find in the Web is to be trusted because anyone can post anything in a webpage.
Checking information reliability
There are a couple of easy steps that you can follow to check information reliability. You might think of it as a burden in the beginning, but it is very easy to get used to it and more than worthwhile. And in no time you'll be doing it (or maybe you are already are doing it) and will not even be aware of the fact.
Think like Sherlock Holmes!
Think of the main investigative questions: Who, When, Where, Why and How
Who OR the Author
In most of the trustable sources the author of the piece is not difficult to find. The author can be an individual or someone who writes on behalf of an institution/organization. In case the name of the author is not available, then than information from the URL can help you decide whether to trust the material. But before discussing the URL let's consider the questions you need to pose to the text as far as the author is concerned:
- Is the author identifiable?
- Does the author have an institutional affiliation?
- Is the site representing a group, an organization or the government?
When OR How current is the information in the text
In many web pages at the bottom (or in one of the four corners of the page) of the article you will see a date. The date becomes very important in cases when the information is time dependent. Here are some questions you may need to find the answer to before deciding whether you can rely on what you see in the site:
- Is the date referring to the first posting or the last update?
- Is the text updated frequently and consistently?
- Are the links on the page still valid or current?
Where OR is the information accurate & confirmable
One of the things you need to consider is where does the information come from, what is its background and whether it is possible to validate its claims. So what you do is look out for references, but also for errors, such as spelling errors and consistency. Let's look at the questions to pose:
- Is the background information confirmed by other sources?
- Are the other sources cited?
- If it is research-based information, does the author specify how was the data gathered?
- Does the text look error-free and consistent?
Why OR is the information objective
After checking so many sources on your selected subject you must have realized that positions vary tremendously. Each author has a particular point of view; when writing your own report on the research you conducted you become an author yourself. Remember that you are writing something that has been shaped by the background you have accumulated so far but also by the arguments you have decided to use and those you have decided to ignore. In social sciences being neutral is close to impossible; once you know the source of information is up to you whether to use it or not. Being aware of the fact that information in most cases is shaped by a certain position, makes all the more important the need to cite the resource used. But, this is another story which we will be pursuing in the next chapter... Here are some questions that will help you establish the objectivity of the information:
- What is the material trying to persuade you about?
- Who is the author or source of information?
- Is there any obvious advertisement sponsorship in the page?
How OR dealing with the topic
The final thing you need to pay attention to is how has the author dealt with the topic. Anything can be written on any topic, so you have to recognize whether what is included in the particular text is relevant to the general topic or not. And also remember that a good text covers the topic to a good extent, that is, it has some depth, and it is not superficial. Here are the questions that would help you decide on the question of coverage of the topic:
- Is the information relevant to the topic?
- Is the information wide-ranging or limited and sketchy?
- Do the links (if they exist) add information to the page?
The URL OR more clues to Who but also Where
URL- is the short form of Uniform Resource Locator. It is the address of a webpage and as such it is unique. The URL has several components, such as http, server name, and an extension part. The http (hypertext transfer protocol) tells your computer what to do with the file that is being opened. The server name is the name of the organization that is hosting the file (e.g. sabanciuniv is the host name of our webpage). In case the server name is not familiar to you, then the extension part can help. Here is a list of common extension:
- .edu or .ac - stand short for education or academic related sites
- .gov - are sites hosted by government institutions
- .com or .co - are commercial sites
- .org - are nongovernmental organization sites
- .mil - are military related pages
Where OR more on URL extensions
Besides the extensions that give information about the kind of site, there are some extensions that give information about the country, they serve as country codes. Let's see some examples:
.tr - Turkey, .it - Italy, .de - Germany, .uk - United Kingdom, .ch - Switzerland
For more country codes check: www.ics.uci.edu/WebSoft/wwwstat/country-codes.txt .
Test yourself on what you have learnt so far...