As a student, you will be gathering information from a variety of types of sources for your research projects including books, newspaper articles, magazine articles, specialized databases, and websites. As you examine each source, it is important to evaluate each source to determine the quality of the information provided within it. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. Each of these criteria will be explained in more detail below. Show
Purpose and intended audience
Authority and credibility
Accuracy and reliability
Currency and timeliness
Objectivity or bias
In Summary
Adapted from Burkhardt, J.M & MacDonald, M.C. (2010). Teaching information Literacy: 50 standards-based exercises for college students.Chicago: American Library Association. An essential part of online research is the ability to critically evaluate information. This includes the ability to assess its level of accuracy, reliability, and bias. In 2012, my colleagues and I assessed 770 seventh graders in two states to study these areas, and the results definitely got our attention. Unfortunately, over 70 percent of the students’ responses suggested that:
Other studies highlight similar shortcomings of high school and college students in these areas (see, for example, a 2016 study from Stanford). From my perspective, the problem is not likely to go away without intervention during regular content area instruction. So what can you do to more explicitly teach adolescents how to evaluate the quality of online information? Dimensions of Critical EvaluationFirst, talk with students about the multiple dimensions of critical evaluation. Students learning to make reasoned judgments about the overall quality of information on a website benefit from clear definitions and discussion of these dimensions:
After defining and discussing these dimensions, encourage students to compare these terms. They should notice that evaluating relevance and accuracy involves considering the quality of the content itself in relation to what’s important to their purpose and whether the author’s claims are supported with evidence-based factual reasoning. Judgments about perspective and reliability require an examination of details about the author (from multiple people’s viewpoints) and his or her agenda in relation to a specific affiliation. Understanding these differences provides a concrete way to remember that any judgment should be informed by a critical examination of both relevant claims and an author’s level of expertise to make those claims. Modeling and PracticeNext, make time to explicitly model how to evaluate each dimension and provide repeated opportunities for students to practice and apply these strategies to information they encounter during the research process. Demonstration lessons can focus on how to:
Three Stages of Thinking Prompts for Evaluating Sources pdf 95.82 KB Pair strategy instruction with written prompts to guide students toward independence. When reading on the internet, adolescent readers often distort or disregard new ideas that contradict their thinking, and revise their reading path to focus only on locating details that confirm their thinking. Prompts can ask students to systematically look for evidence that supports and refutes key claims. To examine relevance and accuracy, have students consider the quality of the content. To determine reliability and perspective, they should consider the author and his or her agenda in relation to his or her affiliations. Cross-checking claims between multiple sources—using a framework like the one in the PDF above—can help adolescents:
Digital scaffolds such as those embedded in this Online Inquiry Tool check students’ ability to weigh evidence that supports and refutes claims surrounding controversial issues across multiple sources and perspectives. Things to Consider as a Healthy SkepticAdolescents should have many opportunities to see the value of a healthy skepticism toward information they encounter in both online and offline contexts. Your curriculum can be a great springboard for introducing students to multiple perspectives and new ways of thinking about content. In my experience, older students appreciate the structure and clear expectations of thinking prompts that move beyond the typical checklist and ask for evidence that supports their thinking. Adolescents also like working in small groups as they grapple with these issues, and then meeting with the whole class to exchange strategies. I will close with a list of strategies to use or adapt to fit your students’ needs as they refine their ability to think critically while conducting online research:
How do you determine the credibility of a source?How to identify a credible source. The information should be up-to-date and current.. The source should be relevant to your research.. The author and publication should be a trusted authority on the subject you are researching.. The sources the author cited should be easy to find, clear, and unbiased.. How do you determine if a research is credible?8 ways to determine the credibility of research reports. Why was the study undertaken? ... . Who conducted the study? ... . Who funded the research? ... . How was the data collected? ... . Is the sample size and response rate sufficient? ... . Does the research make use of secondary data? ... . Does the research measure what it claims to measure?. Where can you find a credible or reliable source of information to get accurate details?based on strong evidence.” Widely credible sources include: Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles and books. Trade or professional articles or books. Magazine articles, books and newspaper articles from well-established companies.
What are some questions you can ask to determine a Sources credibility?Critical questions. Who is the creator/author/source/publisher of the information? What are the author's credentials or affiliations?. Is the author's expertise related to the subject? Are they an authority on the topic through education, experience, or expertise in the field?. Whose voices/viewpoints are not being heard?. |