Research Methods & Evaluation
for the Internet Generation
Jane Long
MLIS, University of Oklahoma
MA, English, Wright State University
Reference Services Librarian
Al Harris Library
jane.long@swosu.edu
The Internet is…
• a major presence in our daily lives
• constantly growing
• helping make an enormous amount of
information available
Web Searching is easy
because…..
• Speed
• Choice
• Availability 24/7
• We always get an answer
Web searching is difficult
because …
• Organization
• Quality control
• Reliability
Early Days of the Internet
Take a look at Letterman in 1995:
Bill Gates and The Quiz Machine
Web vs. Library Databases
• Web
– Good for current
events
– Statistical Information
– Pop Culture
– Opinion
– Information about
Organizations &
Groups
• Library Databases
– Research Based Books
& Articles
– Full-text Resources
– Authoritative & Peerreviewed Materials
– Information about
People & Cultures
– Easier to Search
• AND, OR, NOT
• Specific Subjects
Government Web Tools
• USA.Gov, (formerly
FirstGov) directory of
federal gov’t websites
• SoonerSearch, a portal
to Oklahoma gov’t
websites
• Unclesam, a version of
Google that searches
only gov’t websites
• Infomine, access to
university level
research on gov’t info
Evaluation Is Essential
• Look at how things have changed
regarding the information we have
available to use.
• Information R/evolution
Note the Reasons Evaluation
Is Essential
• Authority
– Who created it? Who is responsible?
– What credentials do they hold? What makes them
qualified to discuss the topic?
• Accuracy
– Can the information be verified?
– Check the facts!
• Objectivity
– How is the information being presented?
– Is it objective or biased? What’s the point of view?
• Currency (important based on subject)
– When was it published?
– When was it last updated?
Wikipedia
Wiki:
A Web application that allows users to add
content to a collaborative hypertext Web resource
(coauthoring), as in an Internet forum, and permits
others to edit that content (open editing).
Wikipedia
•
•
•
•
Jimmy Wales January 15, 2001
No Original Research
NPOV (Neutral point of view)
No owners, multiple anonymous
authors
• Anyone with Internet access can create
or edit an entry…Anyone
Wikipedia
• Contributors: male, English speaking, denizens of
the Internet.
• Problem is not that it disregards the facts, but that it
elevates them above all else.
• Most of the content is discussion/history of edits &
not the entries themselves.
• Most active 1% of editors make 55% of changes.
• Number of new articles peaked in 2007 at around
60,000.
• As of 2009, better attempts are being made
regarding the control of inaccuracies.
Rosenzweig, Roy. “Can History Be Open Source? Wikipedia and the Future of the Past.”
Journal of American History 93.1 (2006): 117-146. Print.
Landgraf, Greg. “Wikipedia Growth Slows.” American Libraries Nov. 2009: 27. Print.
• Participation maps popular, not academic concerns
• It is a working community…but is it a good historical
resource?
• Lack of critical analysis
• Problematic as a sole source of information
• Like all encyclopedias…okay to start, terrible place
to stop.
• Benefits its active participants, not its readers.
• Wikipedia’s design shows users a journal that is free
and available for use by anyone as well as being a
model for online collaboration.
Manjoo, Farhad. “Is Wikipedia a Victim of Its Own Success?” Time 28 Sept. 2009: n. p. Web.
2 Oct. 2009.
What Does This Mean to You?
The Machine is Us/ing Us
Step 1: Authority
• Web Pages
– Credentials/Qualifications/Reputation
– Who is responsible for content?
• Webmaster?
• Web team?
• Organization?
• Institution?
• Company?
Step 1: Authority: Questions
1. Do you recognize the author's name? Is
there an author's name?
2. If you don't recognize the name, or
there is no name, what type of
information is given about the contact
information?
- Position?
- Organizational affiliation?
- E-mail address?
- Biographical information?
Domain Names
• Does evaluation help
us make choices
regarding a site?
• Whois.net
•
•
•
•
– www.whois.net
•
– This website gives us
information about the •
owner of sites.
•
.gov
.org
.mil
.com
.edu
.net
.int
Indicates a reliable domain name
Step 2: Accuracy
• Web Pages
– Can the information be verified?
• Links to credible sites
• Copyright
• Works Cited
• Fact check with a printed source
Step 2: Accuracy
1. Does the website cite sources used to
present its information? What type of
sources are they? Scholarly? Popular?
2. Is it possible to verify the legitimacy
of these sources?
3. If the site is research-based, does the
website clearly identify the method of
research and the data gathered?
Step 3: Objectivity
Biased or Objective?
• Sponsoring Organization
• Agendas
• Political Propaganda
• Web hosting
http://english.aljazeera.net/News
http://www.foxnews.com/
http://www.npr.org/
Do you trust the author or organization providing the
information?
Step 3: Objectivity
Determine the aim of the author or organization
publishing the site.
What is the purpose of the web site?
1. Is it advertisement for a product or service?
2. Is it directed toward political purposes?
3. Is it trying to sway public opinion on a social issue?
Do you trust the author or organization providing
the information?
Step 4: Currency
• Web Pages
– When was it created and last updated?
• Well maintained web sites have an indication
when it was last updated or modified
• Accessibility
– Dead links
• Stability
– Changes URLs frequently
Step 4: Currency
1. Is a date clearly displayed?
2. Can you determine what the date refers to?
When the page was first written?
When the page was first posted on the
Internet?
When the page was last revised or updated?
The copyright date?
3. Are the resources used by the author current?
4. Does the page content demand routine or continual
updating or revision?
5. Do the links on the page point to the correct
Internet site addresses?
Known for providing
information on web traffic
• Next class meeting – Internet
Evaluation
Questions?
 Contact

me:
Jane Long
• 774-3030
• jane.long@swosu.edu
• http://faculty.swosu.edu/jane.long/
Thank you!