When expecting students to be able to evaluate the credibility and validity of a website, it is important to first inform them on characteristics of a valid and credible website.
For example, students should know to look for:
1. Is the author an authority figure within the subject that they are writing about? Where is the author getting their information? What is the authors qualifications?
Knowing a bit about the author can help determine whether or not his or her source is credible. If the author is an Economics professor and he is posting an article about the current state of the economy, he is probably a credible source. If the author is a marine biologist posting about economics, his information might seem legitimate but be less credible because his time is not typically spent studying fluctuations in the economy. The more a person has studied the subject, the more credible they are.
2. Does the author have articles that are peer reviewed? Was the author published in an academic journal?
If an article is peer reviewed, it is typically a credible source because other professionals in the field have agreed with the article or have been able to duplicate the results and conclusions that the article found. However, it is important to point out that anyone commenting their opinions on a story is not “peer reviewing.” Peer reviews are done by professionals in the field of which the paper is written.
3. What organizations is the author associated with? Is the author biased because he or she works for a certain organization?
It is a key clue to see that an author is active in organizations relating to their fields. However, it is important to keep in mind both sides of the argument because articles written by these people may be biased.
4. What kind of website is the article published?
.edu, and .gov websites are published by educational institutions and the government, while anyone can post on a .org and .com website. A website that is well known such as NBC, PBS, or New York Times is going to be more credible than a mommy blog, or Perez Hilton. (Sorry, Perez..)
5. Is there a list of works cited?
If the author of the article conducted research of their own to make the conclusions that they did within their article, they should have a list of works cited.
6. Is the information recent? What is the publishing date?
Checking the posting date of the article can help to keep you up to date on an article and prevent you from thinking an outdated article is current.
For example, students should know to look for:
1. Is the author an authority figure within the subject that they are writing about? Where is the author getting their information? What is the authors qualifications?
Knowing a bit about the author can help determine whether or not his or her source is credible. If the author is an Economics professor and he is posting an article about the current state of the economy, he is probably a credible source. If the author is a marine biologist posting about economics, his information might seem legitimate but be less credible because his time is not typically spent studying fluctuations in the economy. The more a person has studied the subject, the more credible they are.
2. Does the author have articles that are peer reviewed? Was the author published in an academic journal?
If an article is peer reviewed, it is typically a credible source because other professionals in the field have agreed with the article or have been able to duplicate the results and conclusions that the article found. However, it is important to point out that anyone commenting their opinions on a story is not “peer reviewing.” Peer reviews are done by professionals in the field of which the paper is written.
3. What organizations is the author associated with? Is the author biased because he or she works for a certain organization?
It is a key clue to see that an author is active in organizations relating to their fields. However, it is important to keep in mind both sides of the argument because articles written by these people may be biased.
4. What kind of website is the article published?
.edu, and .gov websites are published by educational institutions and the government, while anyone can post on a .org and .com website. A website that is well known such as NBC, PBS, or New York Times is going to be more credible than a mommy blog, or Perez Hilton. (Sorry, Perez..)
5. Is there a list of works cited?
If the author of the article conducted research of their own to make the conclusions that they did within their article, they should have a list of works cited.
6. Is the information recent? What is the publishing date?
Checking the posting date of the article can help to keep you up to date on an article and prevent you from thinking an outdated article is current.
Example:
The truth of it is that not everything that you see or read online is true. It is important to cautious with sources that you are using and the people that you are communicating with. The MTV show, Catfish, is a perfect example of how online profiles can be completely fabricated. (See video below.)
I will admit that in the past, I have had to double and triple check online texts that I have come across while conducting research. However, by following the 6 steps above as well as using Google Scholar, I can ensure that I will always be using a scholarly article or journal for my research.