How to judge online information
If you are looking for information, the Internet has a lot of it. The problem is, you can not trust every website you find. You will need to evaluate each website to decide whether it is reliable. Let us look at some of the questions you should ask yourself whenever you view a website.
Is the information relevant?
No matter how good a website is, you should always ask yourself whether it contains the information you are looking for. Remember, just because the site comes up in a Google search does not mean it is relevant.
What is the site’s purpose?
There are many types of sites on the Internet. Encyclopedias, online stores, blogs, and humor sites all have different purposes. Determining the site’s purpose can help you decide how reliable it is.
- Check the About page to see what the site’s purpose is.
- What are the site’s tone and the topics it focuses on?
- Is the site trying to persuade you to buy or do something?
What is the site’s top-level domain?
Every web address has a top-level domain. Some common examples are .com, .org, .gov, and .edu, although there are many more.
Is the information current?
Many websites will include a date at the top or bottom of an article. This can tell you how current the information is.
Using multiple sources allows you to see all sides of a story, which gives you a better perspective than if you had only looked at one source.
References
For additional information and to access more tutorials about Digital Literacy, visit GFC Global
