Evaluation of the information

Information evaluation can be a difficult task because there is much incorrect or false information. Therefore the accurate choice of information sources is very important.

PROBLEM

How to distinguish good from bad information?

There are several criteria to consider in the selection of sources. Here you will find some of them.

SOURCE

Is this source credible? Will it be useful for research?

With the help of a teacher or librarian you should check if the sources selected are appropriate to your research.

Remember that the information sources you use should be of a scientific nature. Due to the easy publication of information on the web you should take into account the following:

• In the case of statistical and factual information, check how it was collected and to whom it is assigned. This data must be mentioned in the source;

• Clarify whether it is a study of public opinion or not;

• Assess whether it is an academic work or information to the general public and, in both cases, if it suits your research;

• The bibliography gives clues about the sources which have influenced the author in his research. Use them to find other work related to the subject;

• Taking into account all the information you gathered about the author, publisher and date of publication, decide whether the source meets your needs.

AUTHOR

Who is the author? Does he/she have authority to write about the subject?

When faced with a document you should try to figure out who is the author, in order to assess whether he/she has the scientific expertise to write about the subject. You should try to gather information on his training, in which institution he/she carries out his/her activities, published work, …

You can find this information in several ways:

• Through the reference collection of the library (eg, encyclopedias, dictionaries, authors, etc.);

• Consulting the library catalog or an index of journals in order to find other publications that the author has written on the same subject;

• Looking for biographical information about the author in the preface and the book cover or, in case of a web page, in the header and bottom of the page;

• Using a search engines to find some abstract or web page stating the author’s credentials.

UP TO DATENESS

Is the information up to date?

The accuracy of the information can be influenced by the date in which it has been published. Areas such as Medicine or Law require greater care in terms of updating information than Philosophy or History.

The up to dateness of a web page can be decisive. Information subject to frequent changes, such as the stock market quotes or the daily news should be sought in pages that are regularly updated. Some online sites are not updated (eg, personal pages or government reports). Sometimes this happens because the information is not susceptible to change, in other cases the infomration is simply not subject to frequent up dates.

How to find the date and determine the relevance of the information?

• Look for the last updated date at the top or bottom of the web page. In the case of printed information look for the date of publication on the cover page or in the preliminary pages;

• in case of facts and statistical data taken from other sources, make sure that they are conveniently dated, so you can check them with the original source;

• Check the library catalog or the periodical index for more updated information.