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Why Evaluate Web Information
Methods of Evaluation
• Lack of Guidelines
The World Wide Web is a lot like a flea market: there's a vast selection of sites to choose from but not a lot of order to it. Some sites are offered by reputable "dealers" and some from individuals who want to show off their personal favorite items. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's a hidden treasure, what's worth taking a look at, and what's a waste of time. ( ALA's ALSC children and Technology Committee )
The Internet by its very nature was designed to provide for unrestricted exchange of information. There are no rules or standards governing the type or quality of information which a writer can put on the Internet. Web sites may contain factual information, opinions, data, ideas, propaganda, self-promotion and/or commercialism. Anyone who can create their own web page or pay someone to create a web page can put information on the Internet. Each person not only selects the topic which she/he chooses to write about, but also the manner in which the web page is designed and the extent to which the information provided is credible.
An example of the lack of guidelines which exists on the Internet is the Global Encyclopedia. According to James Rettig in his article Putting the Squeeze on the Information Firehose: the Need for 'Neteditors and 'Netreviewers the Global Encyclopedia is a volunteer effort to compile an encyclopedia, and distribute it free of charge on the World Wide Web. A person need only choose a topic from the list of 1,300 possibilities, write an article about the chosen topic and email it to the unnamed "editors." The article is written without standards or guidelines describing structure, content, or reading level. The author of the article could be a middle school child or an authority on the chosen subject. The "editors" claim the information in the articles are checked for facts and corrected for spelling, however, it appears that the qualifications and expertise of the volunteer authors are not checked.
While there are several online encyclopedias, such as Britannica Online, which adhere to strict standards, the lack of guidelines makes it necessary for those of us who use the Internet to constantly evaluate the quality and accuracy of the information we are reading.
•Lack of Monitoring
When reference books are added to a library they have been screened using reviewing mechanisms which have been in place for many years. These same books have also undergone critical evaluation by a publisher and an editor. In most cases, this evaluation assures the public that the new additions contain quality information. Internet sites are not subjected to this type or any type of monitoring before they become part of the World Wide Web. The United States government is struggling to create ways to monitor access to Internet sites. There are also many attempts to insure that users view quality, appropriate sites. However, none of these groups have the power to make people remove or correct web information, nor do these groups have the power to limit access to sites deemed inappropriate.
There are currently no laws in effect which govern the material which is placed on the Internet. The United States government sought to regulate the access to sexually explicit expression on the Internet through The Communications Decency Act which was passed by Congress in February, 1996. This law was designed to prevent minors from accessing sexually offensive material on the Internet, however , it was found to be unconstitutional in June, 1997 because it violated the rights established by the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. ( Cate,F. ) Even if the United States is successful in eliminating certain web sites or access to those sites, our laws would not extend to other 190 plus countries which also have people designing sites for the World Wide Web. In addition,"restrictions of Web use in one country are quickly countered by the appearance of new Web sites in another." ( Bruce, B. ) (To find out more about freedom of speech and censorship, click here .)
Although there are many online review services available which evaluate the Internet sites in existence for quality, none of these have the power to make people remove or replace incorrect and/or bias information or materials which most people would deem objectionable. Nor do these services have the power to limit access to any sites. These services can only suggest which sites are credible and valuable to use in research.
Educators may find the following review sites valuable:
700+ Great Sites for Children is compiled by the Children and Technology Committee of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. This site lists outstanding web sites which have been reviewed for use with children from preschool to age 14.
ED's Oasis Evaluation Center : Online Instructional Resource Evaluation Guidelines which is a collection of resources designed to help teachers use the Internet for their own purposes and with students. Each site included in ED's Oasis has been evaluated by a team of educators and editors for quality.
The Argus Clearinghouse is run by Argus Associates, Inc. This review service was originally started as the University of Michigan ClearingHouse project. Students of and holders of Masters Degrees in Information and Library Science make up the Clearinghouse staff. The main goal of the service is to find information on a topic written by an expert. Guides containing several Internet sites are submitted and rated using a system of one to five checks.
WebLinks was created by the National Middle School Association. The site contains professional information and links to web sites for use by K-12 teachers and students.
Web Credibility Project
- Project by the Stanford Pursuasive Technology Lab on evaluating web
credibility. This site offers tips on how to ensure credibility and
links for different resources.
Perhaps the most important development which is occurring on the Internet today is that certain business groups are starting to monitor commercial sites which seek to scam individuals by providing them with false and erroneous information. According to a recent article in April 26, 1999 issue of Newsweek magazine by Jane Bryant Quinn , "A cottage industry of passionate critics and sleuths is hunting down quick buck artists and disclosing their sins for the world to read." For example, www.stockdetective.com was created by an ex-stockbroker, Kevin Lichtman, to expose companies which are giving Internet clients incorrect information on stock promotions and/or praising certain stocks for pay; www.inventorfraud.com monitors firms which pretend new inventions are marketable, and encourage inventors to send them up to $30,000 for marketing data which is of no value. Perhaps businesses are realizing that in order to make information on the Internet more reputable, they must eliminate the unscrupulous within their own ranks.
Another common attempt made to monitor sites on the Internet are web based programs called filters. These program scan web sites for certain objectionable words and phrases. The objectionable material usually falls into the following categories: drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, hate speech, sexually explicit material, criminal activities and violence. The problem with using filter programs is that software, not people, are reviewing web material and are identifying words and phrases that would be acceptable in certain content. According to the recent study, Censored Internet Access in Utah Public Schools and Libraries, ( Sims,M. ) some examples of acceptable sites being filtered are: all sites which oppose hate speech and racism, the Iowa State Division of Narcotics Enforcement and a brochure put out by the National Institute of Health are banned because of the reference to drugs and sites dealing with AIDS prevention. Clearly, the human dimension must be added in order to make filtering a valid form of monitoring. (To find out more about filtering, click here .)
Other aspects of the Internet which educators should be aware of are chat rooms and newsgroups. In some schools, such as the Springfield Public Schools , access to these sections of the Internet are denied. According to the Springfield Public Schools Director of Technology, Michael Holinga, "this portion of the Internet is not made available to our schools because there is a low likelihood that they would contain any information useful to the K-12 environment." While it is possible to engage in intelligent, productive communication within these arenas of the World Wide Web, there is no monitoring available for the exchanges which occur here. Therefore, a large number of chat rooms and newsgroups contain information which is sexually explicit, promote violence and/or other antisocial behaviors.
Technology has moved ahead of society's ability to regulate it for the good of all who use it. Attempts are being made to monitor the information on the Internet, however, at this point in time the best form of monitoring available for teachers and students is the use of critical thinking skills and constant questioning about the validity and quality of the information being encountered on the Internet.
• Immediate mobility of information
"Online communication can be made to appear credible more easily than traditional ... paper messages because a fabricated letter on paper would have required a forged signature and could not have been circulated as rapidly." ( Matzkin, J. )
The most wonderful and useful aspect of the Internet is that a person can find the most up-to-date information immediately from almost anywhere in the world on almost any topic with the just the click of a mouse. Where else can one find the population of the world updated to the minute or news articles about today's headlines which change hourly or an interview with a military leader from an opposing country while the two countries are in the midst of a conflict? However, while we value the immediacy of the Internet we must also critically evaluate the information we receive through this media because all of it is not true. The following are some examples of information received over the Internet which illustrate the need to question what is read there.
January 9, 1996 the rumor of a hostile takeover of Apple Computer by Sony Corporation circulated the Internet and appeared so official that Apple received 25 inquiries about its legitimacy in the next few days. Sony Corporation felt it necessary to post a statement on the Business Wire declaring the transmission a hoax on January 12, 1996. ( Matzkin,J. )
Recently, an email chain letter was circulated stating that the reason gasoline prices in the United States were too high was because the United States government has millions of gallons of gasoline in storage which it will not release it to the American public. The letter called for all recipients of the message to refrain from buying gas on April 30, 1999 in order to force our government to release this gasoline being held in storage to bring the gas prices down. When questioned about the accuracy of the information the response received was that it made good sense and it couldn't be sent out on the Internet if it were not true. Reader beware!!! Is this information true or false? Valid or not it has circulated throughout the World Wide Web and is being taken as credible. In fact, several messages continue to circulate reminding recipients of the April 30 "Gas Out."
Another recent example of disinformation sent through electronic mail is the chain letter supposedly sent by Walt Disney Jr., Disney, Bill Gates and Microsoft Development which explains that Microsoft and the Disney Corporation is developing an email tracing program and would like their message sent to 13,000 people. According to the message, if this happens the tracing program will have a data base with everyone's email address and will award 1,300 people $5,000 and the rest of the people involved a free trip to Disney World for one week. The message comes complete with testimonials from people who state they have called Disney themselves to verify the contents of the letter. It all looks very legitimate, however, there is no Walt Disney, Jr. connected with the Disney Corporation. It is all a hoax.
Why are these messages sent? Possibilities range from the scenario that individuals do this for entertainment to someone doing it to spread a computer virus. However, there is no evidence available that indicates viruses have been spread by actual email messages. Instead, what has happened is that the viruses have been spread by attachments to email messages. The most recent virus, the Melissa Virus, was circulated in this manner. ( Rosenberger, R. ) All individuals in education must be aware that if something looks too good to be true, it probably isn't true, so questioning messages of this type is very important. It is also important to decide not to continue the circulation of such messages.
Another type of information which individuals have immediate access to is information about current events. When the Crisis in Kosovo occupied the news media in the Spring of 1999 a person could contact four sites to offer to help the Albanian refugees, access NATO to report war crimes, listen to a live interview with Serb militia leader, Arkan, on msnbc.com , and view a propaganda site which was created by Kosovars, half a world away, to denounce the insanity and terrorism of NATO. ( Gajilan,A. ) Add to this the web sites of NATO , itself, ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN and we knew what was happening in Yugoslavia almost as it happened.
This immediate access with the click of a mouse helps educators make the most of teachable moments. However, teachers must be ready to supervise and discuss the information students view in these situations in the event that there is need for clarification of the information they are receiving. A great deal of information about current events must be evaluated with a very critical eye in an effort to separate the truth from propaganda. (To find out more about computer crime and technology misuse, click here .)
• Lack of Representation
Although there are hundreds of millions of pages present on the Web today, these sites represent only the minority of the world's population. There is an absence of representation by many groups of people, such as poor, minorities, and females, as well as various ethnic groups from around the world. Furthermore, there are entire countries not represented on the Web due to a lack of access. This is in spite of the fact that the Clinton administration has placed a priority on developing a National Information Infrastructure. This is an initiative that would expand access in the United States but does not address this issue on a worldwide scale.
However, it is very unlikely that many impoverished countries will ever gain access; It is simply not a priority for many areas, especially considering many people do not even have electricity. "You've got to solve the fundamental problems before you spend a lot of time thinking about how to get the poor and the uneducated on the Net" ( Basch, R. ). The problems that these groups face are more immediate than gaining access to the Internet.
This is the case, for instance, in the African country of Malawi. Villages in this country have no electricity or means of communicating with the rest of the world, including the traditional sources of information that many of us take for granted, such as the radio or television. In addition, there are no phone lines in Malawi. As a matter of a fact, groups referred to as theater troops travel around the country to raise the consciousness of and educate the people in the villages of Malawi. Given the fact that this is one of the only ways for these villagers to receive messages from the outside world, Internet is simply not a factor in such countries. In fact, the government and university have only recently gained email and Internet access in this country.
In addition to ethnic groups being under-represented on the Internet, women are often not very well represented on most networks. This is not very surprising given their lack of representation in most computer cultures and in computer science related fields. The lack of female presence on the Web can be attributed to a variety of factors. For instance, many women lack the hardware and software equipment necessary to access the Web. Other than women in academic or professional fields where access to the Internet is not a cost issue, many women are not in fields where they have free access. In addition, women are often paid less than men and have fewer funds available to purchase equipment to be used in the home. Another factor that keeps women from accessing the Internet is lack of training. This is also due, in part, to the fact that women are often not in fields where they are trained in this area ( Reagan-Shade, L. ).
In addition to lack of technology equipment and training, women avoid the Internet for various other reasons. Many women avoid the Internet because of a fear of sexual harassment on the Web. Also, the presence of pornography on the Internet keeps women from going online. Women are under-represented on the Internet for a variety of reasons, which is another reason that one should view Internet material critically; It simply presents a limited viewpoint often times ( Reagan-Shade, L. ).
Finally, "The consequences to American society of [the] race gap in Internet use are expected to be severe" ( Novak, T. and Hoffman, D. ). African-Americans are far less likely to have access to computers than the white population. Within homes, only 29.0% of African-Americans own computers, while 44.2% of whites have home computers ( Novak, T. and Hoffman, D. ). Furthermore, African-American access in the workplace is less, although the differences are not as significant as home access. Thus, African-Americans represent yet another group of people who are under-represented on the Web, and this gap does not appear to be lessening.
The diversity of our world today is simply not reflected on the Internet. Thus, one must evaluate Internet information in order to determine whether the limited viewpoints present on the Internet are completely accurate. Often times, the Internet simply may not present the whole picture, or the viewpoint may be quite skewed. As Dr. Bertram Bruce asserts in his article entitled My Grandmother in Kenya, "...the Web today is still far from worldwide. Its users include perhaps 3% of the world's population, and most of those are concentrated in the wealthy countries, and among the highly educated and wealthiest in those places" ( Bruce, B. ). (To find out more about access, click here .)
• Searching for information
There are several methods available to locate information on a particular topic on the Internet. One way is by using a search engine such Alta Vista or Yahoo, another method is to use a "WebCrawler" and a third method is to use an "intelligent agent" program like Sherlock. A search engine is a program which relies on a data base made up of web sites which are divided into various categories. The search engine sifts through this data base looking for key words and phrases which apply to the topic being researched. This is a fast and effective method to find web sites that are likely to contain needed information.
A "WebCrawler," sometimes called a "worm," is a program which searches every available web page on the Internet for a certain topic. This search process usually takes a considerable amount of time, however, may yield many sites the search engine might miss. Actually, "WebCrawlers" are used to compile the data bases for the search engines.
Sherlock is a component of Macintosh system 8.5 which searches web sites in several search engine data bases and then ranks the search results as to which would be the most beneficial sites for a researcher to use. Sherlock is called an "intelligent agent" application because the user can pose a question or a research request which Sherlock will translate into the format needed for the various search engines. For example, one could enter the question, "Why is the sky blue?" and Sherlock would supply the web sites which could answer this question. It also indicates to the research which sites would be most useful to him/her. The drawback to Sherlock is that it is currently only available for Macintosh computers with an 8.5 operating system, however, similar programs should be available for other operating systems soon.
While finding information on the Internet would be a enormous task without the help of a search engine, a person must be a critical evaluator even when using these vehicles because the results of these searches can be manipulated. For example, there is a web tool available to web masters which lists key words and/or phrases, this can also be used to bring individuals to a site which is not useful to them for the purposes of advertisement or to circulate a political message. Also, often time the web master gets paid by the number of "hits" on each site he/she has designed.
With the Internet becoming more and more commercial all the time it is essential for educators and students to constantly question, critique and evaluate all aspects of Internet use. Although there are hundreds of millions of pages present on the Web today, these sites represent only the minority of the world's population. There is an absence of representation by many groups of people, such as poor, minorities, and females, as well as various ethnic groups from around the world. Furthermore, there are entire countries not represented on the Web due to a lack of access. This is in spite of the fact that the Clinton administration has placed a priority on developing a National Information Infrastructure. This is an initiative that would expand access in the United States but does not address this issue on a worldwide scale.
• Bias/Objectivity of Information
Another reason to evaluate information found on the web is because of the bias or objectivity present in the content of the information. Determining if the Web site is biased or not can sometimes be difficult if one does not know what to look for. There are many guidelines to keep in mind when establishing the objectivity of a site. The overriding objective, as identified by Florida Community College Learning Resources Standing Committee, is to be aware that organizations, businesses, and individuals represent their own viewpoints. If organizations have a particular mission, they may publish only information that supports their point of view. Businesses may only publish positive reviews of their products. Finally, personal Web sites many times reflect strong political, religious, or social opinions of that individual.
The Faculty of Education, in the article "Internet Source Validation Project", suggests that evaluating sites for bias conveys whether or not the author is deviating from the truth, applying his personal prejudices, opinions, or thoughts to the information presented. It also establishes whether or not the author has an unfair or unreasoned judgment or distortion in favor of or against the topic at hand. These indicators will enable you to judge the truthfulness of the information.
Obtaining unbiased news from any media source has always been a difficult task. News reporters on television provide an example of such a common problem. The world wide resources of the Internet have at least given us another avenue for acquiring information from other perspectives and other voices. But this is also becoming a place for this information to be biased, as service providers are now trading their reputations for dollars.
The following are questions and tips, compiled by the University of Florida, which you can ask yourself and keep in mind in order to determine if sites contain bias or issues of objectivity:
• Does the author or publisher have a particular viewpoint that they seek to endorse? A large tobacco company will present a perspective on smoking at their web site that varies from that of the American Cancer Society.• Look for the stated purpose of the web site to determine if there is possible bias. If it is not stated in a scope statement, you may have to analyze the point of view of the contents of the site.
• Watch for bias in information from businesses, political or pressure groups, list serves devoted to a non-academic or research mission, news groups and advocacy groups.
• What are the biases and motivations of the compiler in gathering and publishing the data?
• How credible is the information? Does the information seem reliable? Is there any indication where the information came from?
Two issues directly related to bias and objectivity of information are that of propaganda and commercialism.
• Propaganda, as defined in Webster's II Dictionary, refers to the systematic widespread promotion of a particular idea; that is, material which is published with the purpose of winning people over to a particular idea. Propaganda techniques are used in print material, as well as mass media. The techniques have the same effect, but may be even more persuasive on the Net because of the potential for interaction with more media. Some of the most common propaganda techniques are bandwagon, testimonial, transfer, repetition, and emotional words. The bandwagon technique persuades someone to do something because many other people are doing it. The testimonial method involves the use of testimonials, or quotes from authorities or famous people to persuade the public. The transfer approach uses a situation that is appealing, or features appealing or famous people, in hopes that the audience will identify with the people or situation and transfer their feelings to the product. The repetition strategy involves repeating the same words or phrases for emphasis. Finally, another persuasive technique is using emotional words to make the audience feel strongly about something or someone. Many times these techniques are used in advertising, but we still face propaganda in the content of the sites we visit, as well.
There are, typically, at least three views presented for any given topic, which can be quite evident when examining controversial issues/news articles. The trend usually follows that of the rightist views, the leftist views, and centrist views. The following example, compiled by Jeff Cohen , portrays how the same topic can take on three differing versions, depending upon the group providing the information. "In foreign coverage, the key signature of centrist propaganda is to portray the U. S. as a mediator or peacemaker. In other words, they depict the U. S. going around the world doing good, mediating in the cause of peace. Rightist propaganda would convey this as the U. S. caving in to Communism and terrorism around the world. Leftist propaganda would report this as the U. S. subverting governments and Third World movements in the interests of a corporate elite and blind anti-Communism." All three issues reported on the same topic, but, notice, we were given three very different viewpoints. This happens quite often when interacting with any piece of information, so we need to be aware of the use propaganda in delivering information and become critical readers and discerners.
• Commercialism is another topic of consideration when discussing bias or objectivity of information found on the Web. The Internet, over the past several years, has made drastic changes. It was originally seen as a place to go and gather information for research or used in other educational manners, or used for military interests. However, more recently, the Internet has become a place for commercial activity. Internet commerce, as defined by Yael , in the article, Commercialization of the Internet, applies to three issues: making money, saving money, and maintaining a competitive edge. There are also misuses of the system because of a desire to promote an idea or product. These would include velveeta, spam, and cookies.
Making Money
Companies usually cater to two major markets in their endeavor to make money: One is that of providing a market for physical goods, where customers browse and purchase items, usually with a credit card. The second is creating a market for information whereas the user can pay for access to such things as the current stock prices, or other previously hard-to-obtain data. According to Robert Kurlwich , at the present time, most companies generate very little business from the marketing and advertising on the Web (The CommerceNet/ Nielsen Internet Demographics Survey Executive Summary notes approximately 14%, 2.5 million, of WWW users have purchased products and/or services over the Internet). However, companies want to be on-line when things do pick up. Companies feel that if they establish a presence on the Web now, they can sharpen these strategies and be ready when the Web does become a major commercial tool for everyone. The reasons behind the slow start are the apprehension associated to new technology, payment security concerns, and a small market. In addition, shopping is a leisure activity for people, something they enjoy; one cannot achieve that through virtual shopping networks. Customers also like to see and feel what they buy; this is impossible with on-line products. Christopher R. Vincent notes that, for now, the marketing strategies which are working are corporate image making, brand awareness and promotion, traffic generation for retail stores, database marketing and direct mail list collection, lead generation, and direct sales of goods and services.
Saving Money
Companies can save money by using the Internet to advertise products. There are many Internet resources available that are cheaper than advertising by phone, mail, catalogs, and other print materials. A recent study by IBM in 1995 suggests that online catalogs on the Internet can save firms up to 25% in processing costs and reduce cycle time by up to 62%. With the Internet, companies can reach customers by email, and use news groups and FTPs to provide customer service, technical information, or engineering specification on-line. Online saved Sun Microsystems over 4 million dollars in FAQs, Frequently Asked Questions, alone since they re-enginneered information processes around the WWW. Also the WWW provides a means to advertise and display detailed information on products. Potter , 1994, suggests that marketing on the WWW results in ten times as many units sold as one-tenth the advertising budget. Because of the global possibilities, companies can reach faraway places and generate international business.
Competitive Edge
The Web has tracking abilities which help to maintain a competitive edge. They measure the effectiveness of their advertising and marketing strategies, therefore, customizing their information to fit the needs of their customers. This is similar to personalized marketing, which is quite successful. Christopher Vincent claims that companies may do this by offering "free" products or services in exchange for a registration with name and address. Users are willing to give up this information in order to view what is perceived as valuable information. This is one way companies get the desired information needed for a database and/or mailing list, and much more. People are drawn in by the "something for nothing" idea. However, there is a measurable dollar value for the advertiser. Another advertising device is that of the banner element, "used for corporate logos, navigation aids, disclaimers and other information which shouldn't be scrolled with the rest of the document. It provides an alternative to using the LINK element in the document head to reference an externally defined banner. The banner appears at the beginning of the body section and at the top of a page. This advertising banner will remain at the top of the screen as a user scrolls through the content, always remaining in the "realm of vision." Obviously, this is a great way to keep the user's attention and get them interested in the product or service of which they are trying to sell or promote.
In addition, Christopher Vincent has noted that, some companies, or individuals, have chosen to exploit the weaknesses of the Internet system in the name of business. Others have made useful services available in exchange for prominent advertising. One of the most obvious and easily corrected abuses of the system is posting an advertisement or political discourse to unrelated news and discussion groups. This abuse is sometimes called "velveeta." A more problematic abuse is the "spamming" of these news groups. This involves sending a message separately to many unrelated news groups, which causes multiple copies of the posting to be stored on every news server. (To find out more computer crimes and technology misuses, click here .)
Most Internet browsers contain a feature that generates a small data base called a cookie. This file contains information about the user that can be modified and accessed by the web site operator. One of the most common uses of the information contained in the cookie is to produce customized advertisements and banners for user accessing particular web sites. For example, if the user has accessed web sites looking for information about vacations the cookie which resides on the users computer can be used by other web site operators to send banners or other web site advertisements about vacation opportunities. The teacher should be aware that the user can disable the cookie on the computer or ask to be warned when data is being sent by changing the "cookie" setting in the preferences of their Internet browser. (To find out more about privacy issues, click here .)
Both of these issues, propaganda and commercialization, reinforce the idea that, just as we should evaluate information found in print (and other types of sources), we should most definitely analyze what is found on the World Wide Web. Hope Tillman maintains that the content of the Internet is even more diverse than that of print because of the interaction with more media. In addition, the Internet contains vanity to very scholar/specific data, but with more variation and with the inclusion of these promotional and advertising gimmicks which may be more difficult to differentiate on the Internet than in print or mass media/television. (To find out more about commercialism, click here.)
As Robert Harris surmised, "Information pretending to objectivity but possessing a hidden agenda of persuasion or a hidden bias is among the most common kind of information in our culture." We must be careful and check our sources, and compare them with other sources, before believing the data the author is presenting or selling.
