There is no regulating body that monitors reliability of what is on the Internet.
Arguably, student researchers should always make these decisions, even about materials they find in the university
library. However, judging the reliability of sources found on the Internet is crucial because there is no regulating body
that monitors the reliability of what is on the Internet. Although there is so much information on the Internet that it can
seem like a university library, it is actually more like a huge open-air market. In one corner there might be reliable
sources from whom you can obtain valuable information. But over in another corner there might be weirdos, whackos,
and eccentrics, from whom anything you obtain is, at best, questionable. The problem is that on the Internet there is no
way to tell the difference. Someone who wants to turn Moby Dick into a glorification of bloodsports or an animal
rights tract can post a rewritten version with no indication of its differences from Melville's original. There's a saying
in Latin, caveat emptor, or "let the buyer beware." When it comes to doing your research on the Internet, the saying
should be “caveat internauta”, or "let the surfer beware."
Major points to consider when judging reliability.
Here is a list of points to consider when you are trying to judge the reliability of information you find on the Internet:
Who is the author or sponsor of the page? On the page you are citing, or on a page linked to it, that
individual or organization should be identified, that individual's qualifications should be apparent, and other
avenues of verification should be open to you. For a good example of a reliable source, see "Notes about this
document" for the hypertext version of Pride and Prejudice at
<http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pridprej.html>. On the other hand, a page created by a person or an
organization that does not provide this information is not a good source to cite.
Are there obvious reasons for bias? If the page is presented by a tobacco company consortium, you should
be suspicious of its reports on the addictiveness of nicotine. Is there any advertising? If the page is sponsored
by Acme Track Shoes, you should be suspicious of its claims for Acme track shoes' performance.
Is contact information provided? If the only identification available is something cryptic, such as "Society
for Ferruginous Retorts," be suspicious of the page's reliability. If the page is sponsored by a reputable person
or organization, there should be some other way to verify that reputation, such as an e-mail or postal address.
(Note that a tilde [~] in the page's address usually indicates a personal home page and may require more
searching for reliability.)
Is there a copyright symbol on the page? If so, who holds the copyright?
Is this page a "zombie," or one considered "walking dead" because the person who posted it no longer
maintains or updates it? Even though the information is "alive" in that it is still accessible, it is "dead" in that
it could well be several years old!
What is the purpose of the page? Why is this information being posted--as information, as a public service,
as a news source, as a research tool for academics, as a personal axe to grind, or as a way to gain attention?
How well organized is the page? Is the page easy to navigate? Is it complete? When was the page last
updated? Is the information on it current? How credible are the links it provides?
Is the information on the page primary or secondary? That is, is it a report of facts, such as a medical
researcher's article counting cases of "mad cow" disease in England in 1997, thus making it primary
information, or is it an Internet newsgroup discussion about "mad cow" disease, thus making it secondary
information? The papers and reports you write for your college classes need to be based on primary
information whenever possible. The further away from the primary sources your own sources are, the less
reliable the information is.
Can you verify the information on the Web page some other way? For example, can you check the page's
bibliography (if there is one) against your library's holdings or check the information against a source in the
library?
If you are worried that the information may lack credibility, try starting with a source you know is
reputable. For example, if you have to do a project on the latest in cancer research, you can begin your search
at major cancer research institutes, such as Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota .
Finally, remember that even though a page might not meet your standards as a citable source, it may help you
generate good ideas or point to other usable sources. Also, be sure not to stop your search at the first page you find--
shop around and do some comparing so that you can have points of reference.
Ultimately, the problem with reliability of information on the Web is like the whispering game children play.
Someone whispers a message to the first child, who whispers it to the second, and so on. By the time it gets to the last
child, the message is hopelessly distorted. Web pages can work the same way when people get their information from
other people's Web pages: The first person who posts information may make a few small errors; the second
unintentionally repeats them and makes one or two more; the third makes a few more; and so on. For information
seekers it can be impossible to tell where in the chain the information is coming from, but that makes a difference in
the information's reliability. So it never hurts to check against a library reference.
http://www.mhhe.com/mayfieldpub/webtutor/judging.htm
Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Link to fake news: https://www.news24.com/Columnists/GuestColumn/how-to-spot-fake-news-and-false-information-
20170613
