· How do we shape our ability to critically evaluate the credibility of information available online?
Using the Internet, and surfing the web, seems like it has been part of my whole life, as I often have a hard time remembering how I acquired information pre-Internet. At this point, whether it is buying a product, getting political information, or doing research for school, I feel comfortable knowing where to go online to get credible products and information. Taking a step back, however, one should reconsider what makes them choose certain websites and organizations for their time online. In many ways, choices on the Internet are similar to ones made in more traditional venues, in other ways the Internet provides for more information to sort through to make informed decisions.
Much like the world away from the Internet, people feel comfortable interacting with businesses and resources which are big, have been around for a long time, and have been used by people with similar interests. When shopping online, I feel comfortable buying products from businesses like Amazon, because I know their size means many people use this company and repeat their business. Seeing all of the company’s infrastructure makes me feel comfortable knowing they will be able to complete the task of fulfilling my transaction. I also feel comfortable using websites linked to companies which have traditionally been prevalent retailers for many years, like Sears or Ford. Finally, like shopping, picking a restaurant, or even doing professional work or research, we often lend credibility to sites which were recommended by friends or people we trust in our chosen field. If someone, knowing what I do for a living, told me I needed to look at a new site, I would be willing to and would do so with a positive preconceived notion on what I would be examining.
Prior to the Internet, I felt comfortable using academic journals, peer-reviewed publications, as well as information from encyclopedias for my work. In shaping my ability to evaluate research material online, I primarily try to find the same sources online, or their equivalents. To start, many academic journals have moved from the back of the libraries to an online format. The review which occurs to publish is the same, or often now has more peer-review as it is easy to disseminate work electronically for people to examine. Teaching myself, and students, where to find academic journals and peer-reviewed work online is something which can be done quickly through search engines, and often collections are often already put together by disciplines making future research potentially easier. Beyond formal, peer-review work found online, finding reputable and accurate research other places on the Internet can be more difficult. There are, of course, online versions of newspapers and magazines which are near as reliable online as the print version. What is different, however, is the need to be able and put part of an article in context if someone just copies you sections or quotes. Furthermore, many magazines and newspapers online have chats and comments section, which need to often be considered equivalent to the editorial section of print editions.
The section of the Internet which seems to be most debated, relating to credibility of reporting is blogs. According to Gunter (2009) the emergence of blogs is significant and their influence and growth should be taken seriously. Furthermore, blogs are fast becoming a starting point for people to find out about news worthy events (Gunter, 2009). Much like all other forms of media, however, the “brand” and source of the blog is what pushes public trust (Gunter, 2009). Often blogs, like the Drudge Report and Huffington Post point users towards reliable information, but perhaps only information from one perspective. Another area online with debatable reliability, similar to blogs, is wiki sites, Wikipedia specifically. For years, many teachers gave students blanket instructions to avoid Wikipedia, instructions often ignored by students as their usage of the site was often counted correct on assignments. Over time, it appears that more people are noticing the small army of people who take the reliability of Wikipedia very seriously, and that studies have shown factual errors on the site are often equivalent in frequency as printed encyclopedias.
In the end, when considering what parts of the Internet to use for research, professional, and academic work, people need to understand the needs and resources of their field. One site might be acceptable for one usage and not for another. People should often also follow the acceptable resources outside of the Internet and work to find their online counterpart. Trying to find formal writings, peer-reviewed work, or using resources accepted by the leaders and peers in your field are always best choices. People should also work to examine new resources that come available online as well, but in the beginning work to verify the information with other known sites.
Gunter, B., Campbell, V., Touri, M., & Gibson, R. (2009). Blogs, news and credibility. Aslib Proceedings, 61 (2), 185 – 204.
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