Critiquing Internet Sources

Critiquing Internet Sources

"Critiquing History, Social Studies Sites Requires a Skeptical Approach, " Published: March 6, 2008, Digital Directions

A student surfing the Internet for information on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. might expect that a site bearing his name—and one of the top matches in a Google search—would contain accurate historical data about the most famous leader of the American civil rights movement.

Instead, www.martinlutherking.org is a site hosted by a white supremacist organization calling for the repeal of the holiday named for King and discrediting his achievements. The site bills itself as “a valuable resource for teachers and students alike.”

As the Internet has evolved into a major source of information for students researching history and social studies, it also has become a place where hidden agendas and false information can trip up both students new to a topic and teachers searching for credible sources of historical data.

Oral presentation

Work with:

The ICYouSee Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web
John R. Henderson, Librarian, Ithaca College Library.
This lively site, with plenty of color and boldface writing, provides a good introduction to Web evaluation as well as an interactive tutorial. Librarian John R. Henderson backs up most of his points with links to interesting online examples. Henderson opens with the question of whether the Web is the best resource for certain types of research, followed by questions of source, authority and validity, creators' intention, quality, and the initial purpose of online material. The site ends with a quiz, an assignment to practice evaluating sites, and a bibliography of more than 20 resources. This site was updated in August 2000.

Select: 2 Web sites based on your research interest:

Special interest sites - maintained by non-profit organizations or activists dealing with special issues, such as environmental concerns, legalization of marijuana, etc. They can be relatively mainstream or radical in interests and vary widely in credibility of information. (.org domains)

- Information sites - which include research, reference sources, and fact sheets. Many institutions provide such services to the public. The credibility of the institution providing the facts gives clues as to the reliability of the information. Is the material documented? (.edu or .gov domains)

Prepare a handout for your colleagues in which you briefly comment on the following for each of the 2 sites (include complete citations for the sites)

Authority: Who are the authors of the Web page, or who is responsible for it? What gives them their authority or expertise to write?
Accuracy: Do you have good reason to believe that the information on the site is accurate? Are the facts documented?
Objectivity: What is the author's point of view? What is the purpose of the site?
Currency: When was the information on the page originally written? Has the site been kept up-to-date?
Coverage: Does this site address the topic you are researching? Is the information basic and cursory or detailed and scholarly? However complex the language might be, is the information substantial?
Value: Was the page worth visiting? Does the site offer anything informative, unique, or insightful? Is the site free of careless errors, misspelled words, and poor grammar?