When you are researching on the web, you NEED to remember that ANYONE can create a webpage or a blog. Publishing information on the web does NOT make you an expert. So, how do we know whether the information we are reading is reliable????
Well, there are some simple things that you can look for, and evaluate, to ensure that the information you are receiving is reliable and relevant.Take a moment to read through Judith Comfort's information "Who can you trust?" .
Still not quite sure why we should worry about where our information comes from?? Watch this five minute video as Alan November presents to parents at a school in the United States.
As critical thinkers, you cannot simply take information at face value. If you need to, think of the internet as one big high school. There is bound to be a lot of gossip and rumours out there!
However, it is wise to find out where the information is coming from and whether it is actually true before you believe what you are hearing or reading.
So what do you need to look for, in order to determine whether you can trust a source or not? Read the information created by Alan November on 'how to read a web address', and look at his examples to determine if a website is credible.
Below, are two websites that look official but, after trying to verify the information are clearly a hoax.
So, what do we know? We know that:
- Even if a site looks good, the information may not be!
- There are simple tools/questions, such as the ones on Judith Comfort's handout, to help us determine whether a site is reliable
- There are easy ways to "read" a web address and determine whether it is simply a personal site, or a credible source of information
