All tutorials are written and reviewed by a national team of lecturers and librarians from universities across the UK
A large amount of information that may be of interest to Information Systems is available on the internet. Some of the information can be accessed on subject-specific internet sites and through using general search engines. When using the internet resources, you need to be cautious, as most websites do not undergo peer review. It is therefore important to evaluate the website that you get your information from.
For tips on searching the internet, try this website from TutorPro
A set of free Internet tutorials to help you develop Internet research skllls for your university course
All tutorials are written and reviewed by a national team of lecturers and librarians from universities across the UK
To find out more about evaluating websites, the following sites will help you:
Techniques to apply and questions to ask. UC Berkeley Library.
Criteria and Tools for evaluating web sites. Cornell University Library
There is a vast amount of information on the world wide web that cannot be found using general purpose search engines like Google. General purpose search engines provide only the tip of the iceberg of what is available on the web. There are alternatives to general purpose search engines:
Provides scholarly internet resource collections
One of the best known general directories on the web.
The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors.
Discover over 70,000+ searchable databases and specialty search engines.
Searching the Internet
When using the internet resources, you need to be cautious, as most websites do not undergo peer review. It is therefore important to evaluate the website that you get your information from.
Use the CRAAP Test
When using the internet you should be cautious as most websites don't undergo peer review. You need to evaluate the website: is it reliable? is it up to date? is it credible?
Authority
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Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page?
Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of the organization, group, company or individual?
Is there any indication of the author's qualifications for writing on a particular topic?
Is the information from sources known to be reliable?
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Accuracy
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Are the sources for factual information clearly listed so they can be verified in another source?
Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and other typographical errors?
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Objectivity
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Does the content appear to contain any evidence of bias?
Is there a link to a page describing the goals or purpose of the sponsoring organization or company?
If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?
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Currency
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Are there dates on the page to indicate when the page was written, when the page was first placed on the Web, or when the page was last revised?
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Coverage
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Are these topics successfully addressed, with clearly presented arguments and adequate support to substantiate them?
Does the work update other sources, substantiate other materials you have read, or add new information?
Is the target audience identified and appropriate for your needs?
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Appearance
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Does the site look well organized?
Do the links work?
Does the site appear well maintained?
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The following links will help you find out more about evaluating websites:
UC Berkeley Library. Evaluating web pages: techniques to apply & questions to ask
Cornell University Library. Evaluating web sites: criteria and tools