LIBR - Lesson 10

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LESSON 10

EVALUATING INFORMATION

Learning Objectives

1. To understand why evaluating information is necessary.

2. To know how to conduct a preliminary evaluation of traditionally published sources even before you have it in hand.

3. To understand the difference between the mainstream press and the alternative press.

4. To understand that periodicals often have an ideological perspective.

5. To know how to find information about an author's background and qualifications.

6. To know how to find published reviews of books.

7. To know how to evaluate information found on the Internet.

Instructions

1. Read Lesson ten and complete the accompanying exercises.

2. Turn in the completed lesson at the Reference Desk for grading.

(Be sure to write in any hours spent working on the course on your log sheet.)

PREFACE

It has been said that an educated person is someone who can make distinctions, i.e. someone who can recognize and separate the significant from the irrelevant, the high quality from the average, the coherent from the distorted. The ability to make these kinds of distinctions is especially important when doing research because not everything your research uncovers will be of equal value. Some of the information you find will be relevant and credible, some will not, and much will be somewhere in-between. Research, therefore, is not merely finding information; it's also about evaluating it for usefulness and credibility. (Evaluating information comprises Stages 6-7 of the research process). You must make value judgements about the worth of information sources because the quality of the information you find is vastly more important than the quantity. This lesson will help you learn specific criteria for making these evaluations.

PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS AND PERIODICAL ARTICLES

By the time you reach Stage 7 of the research process, you've used various access tools and come up with a list of citations for books, articles, and other traditionally published sources of information. At this point, it's important to do some preliminary evaluation of these sources even before you retrieve the book/article from the library shelves or database.

(NOTE: Web sites can be thought of as a new, or non-traditional, way of presenting information which present a special set of challenges. Evaluating Web sites will be discussed in the next section of this lesson.)

There are three ways to get a sense of the perspective, relevance, and quality of a book or article even before you have it in your hands:

1) Carefully examine the bibliographic citation.
(NOTE: This is the same as Stage 6 of the research process.)

Bibliographic citations contain "clues" that will help you decide if an item is of sufficient quality and relevance and worth reading in its entirety. The clues are found in specific parts of the citation:

Title: Read the entire title of the book or article (especially the subtitle if there is one) and look for key words and phrases that indicate relevance to your topic.Also take note of the formality or informality of words used in the title. Formal language usually indicates a serious, scholarly work.
Author: Is this an author you've come across before in your reading? Is this author discussed or cited by other scholars or writers? If so, you can usually be certain that this person is important in the field. (The next section of this lesson will discuss how to find out more about an author's qualifications.)
Date of Publication: When was the item published? You usually want very current information if you're researching a topic in science, technology, or social science. By contrast, research on historical topics may benefit from primary or secondary sources written long ago.
Edition (for books): Publishers often revise books (especially textbooks) and issue them in later editions to reflect revised or expanded knowledge in the subject. A book that's continually republished in later editions is often an indication that it's become a standard, authoritative work in the field.
Publisher: Is the book or periodical published by a reputable publisher? University presses, (Harvard UP, Stanford UP, etc.) for example, are considered highly reputable and usually publish very scholarly material. Depending on your topic, you may also want to seek items published by what is known as the "alternative press." The alternative press is comprised of small, lesser-known publishing houses that sometimes make available unorthodox or controversial views from authors outside the academic mainstream.
Abstract: Computerized periodical indexes often include a brief abstract (summary) that will help you decide if the article is relevant to your topic. Similarly, bibliographic records found on online catalogs sometimes have a field labeled "Contents" or "Summary" which will give you a better idea of what the book is about.
Subject headings: Books are given anywhere from 1 to 6 subject headings and should be read carefully because they describe the contents of the book. Similarly, computerized periodical indexes, such as EBSCOhost, assign subject headings to periodical articles.
Title of periodical (for magazine, journal and newspaper articles): Does your article appear in a popular magazine, scholarly journal, or professional publication? The distinction is important because each type of publication has a different audience in mind and will offer different levels of complexity and depth of analysis (see the online handout on distinguishing scholarly journals from popular magazines). The appropriateness of a popular, scholarly, or professional publication to your research depends on the type of information you need and your previous knowledge of the topic.

It is also important to remember that periodicals often have an ideological perspective which may or may not be apparent from the title of the publication. In other words, magazines and journals often espouse a particular political stance or philosophical grounding, and these perspectives and assumptions are usually expressed by the articles they publish. For example, it's very helpful to know that Mother Jones is usually thought of as a magazine with politically leftist and socially liberal points of view and the articles they publish will reflect that ideology. On the other hand, National Review is thought of as a politically rightist and socially conservative magazine. To determine the ideological stance of a periodical, you can consult a publication called Magazines for Libraries, (REF Z6941.M23) or ask the librarian. Given below is a selective list of liberal, centrist, and conservative periodicals:

LIBERAL

CENTRIST

CONSERVATIVE

New Left Review

Maclean's

Policy Review

Mother Jones

Economist

Strategic Review

Monthly Review

US News & Word Report

Public Opinion

Progressive

Time

Cato Journal

Nation

Newsweek

Soldier of Fortune

New Statesman

New Republic

National Review

2) Find information about the author.

It is very important to know if the author(s) is qualified to write on your topic. The first step in assessing an author is to ask yourself if you've seen this person's name before during your research. Respected authors are cited frequently by other scholars. If, however, it's a name you're seeing for the first time, you should try to identify the author's credentials. What is his or her educational background, past writings, occupation, experience, awards, political perspective? Sometimes this information is provided on the first or last page of a journal article. In books, information on the author may be given at the beginning or end, or sometimes on the book jacket. Aside from the article or book itself, however, there are 4 ways to learn more about the background of an author:

Look for books about the author using the online catalog. If the author is an important literary figure or historically prominent, entire books may have been written about him or her. Conduct a subject search of the OPAC with the author's name as the subject.
Look for periodical articles about the author using periodical indexes. Magazines and newspapers frequently write articles profiling authors. These articles are included in general periodical indexes, such as Gale'sInfoTrac OneFile , and in specialized indexes such as Biography Index. A subject search (author's name entered last name first) will find entire articles about the author, while a keyword search (author's name entered first name first) will pull up any article in which your author's name is mentioned.
Search the Internet. Information about authors can be found in a variety of Internet articles and documents. When using a Web search engine to search for information about an author, enter the name in quotation marks, first name first. Also keep in mind that authors who are faculty members at colleges and universities often list their credentials at the school's Web site.
Search specialized reference sources, such as:
Contemporary Authors (REF Z1224.C6). One of the most comprehensive sources of biographical information on nontechnical writers of all genres -- fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, etc. - who have lived since 1900 and whose work has been published in the U.S. or translated into English. Covers over 90,000 modern writers. Contemporary Authors has reached over 100 volumes in print and Cañada Library owns a portion of the full set. The entire set is accessible online at Cañada Library using the Gale Literature Resource Center databases. To access these databases, go to the Cañada Library homepage, click on Locating Articles, click on On Campus, and then click on Gale Literature Resource Center.

Who's Who in America (REF E176.W64). Contains brief biographical information on individual Americans notable "by virtue of their positions and/or noteworthy achievements that have proven to be of significant value to society" (preface).

American Men and Women of Science (REF Q141.A474). An 8-volume set providing biographical information about 119,618 scientists and engineers from North America "who have made significant contributions in their field" (preface).

Gale's Biography Resource Center (online). A full-text database containing articles describing the life and work of more than 46,000 noteworthy individuals, including authors, politicians, scientists, film makers, musicians, artists, and many others. This database can accessed from the Cañada Library homepage by clicking on Locating Articles, then clicking on On Campus or Off Campus, and clicking on Gale's Biography Resource Center. Type in the name of the person in the search box to see a list of biographical articles. Click on the title of the article to view the full-text.

3) Read a review of the work.

Although not every book published is reviewed, it is often very helpful to find published book reviews and learn what other people think about a book. Reviews summarize and critique the ideas presented in a book, thus giving you a deeper understanding of the work and helping you decide if it's relevant to your topic. (Journal articles are not reviewed in the same way that books are, but you can sometimes find a special type of article called a literature review that summarizes and discusses significant articles in a particular field or subject area.)

Book reviews are published in magazines, journals, newspapers, and on the Internet. Try searching in a database for a review by doing a keyword search for the title and author of the book. Reviews are indexed (listed) in most general and subject periodical indexes as well as newspaper indexes. When using the print versions of periodical indexes, books reviews are usually under a heading such as BOOKS, BOOKS AND LITERATURE, or in a separate section at the end of the volume labeled BOOK REVIEWS. You did this back in lesson 8 when you were looking for a book review in the New York times print index.

The best place to look for a book review, however, is an index that only lists book review articles. Here is one such index:

Book Review Digest (BRD): Covering English-language fiction and non-fiction, the H.W. Wilson company began publishing this index in 1905. BRD is issued monthly with annual bound volumes and covers about 6,000 books per year. It offers a brief summary of each book listed along with citations for each magazine or newspaper review of that book. Short excerpts from the reviews are often included so you can immediately get a sense of the reviewer's opinion of the book. The reviews are drawn from 90 American, Canadian, and British magazines. Cañada Library has a print copy for the years 1960 to 1992. They are kept in a staff area of the Library.

Finding book reviews can be a little complicated so feel free to ask the reference librarian for help.

EXTRA CARE REQUIRED: AN EXERCISE IN EVALUATING WEB SITES AND WEB PAGES

As discussed in Lesson 9, one of the drawbacks of the Internet is lack of quality control. This means that anyone who has a computer connected to the Internet and wants to make his/her information or opinion available can "publish" on the Web. But because there are no restrictions, guidelines, or review processes for contributions to the Web, the quality, accuracy, validity, and authoritativeness of the contributed information varies wildly. Therefore, when viewing sites on the Web, you must apply your critical thinking skills and judge for yourself the usefulness, validity, and reliability of the information you uncover. Especially when doing general Web surfing with search engines, arm yourself with an active, questioning mind and a healthy skepticism, because not all Web sites are equally valuable or credible.

Evaluating Web sites, like any other skill, takes time, patience, and practice. One approach to evaluating Web sites is called QUICK: The Quality Information Checklist. This checklist gives you 8 ways to evaluate Web sites.

To learn about QUICK, go to any computer with Internet access and connect to: http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm
Read through the first 7 "ways for checking information on Web sites."
PLEASE SKIP #8, "Does the site tell you about choices open to you?"
When you finish reading about the first 7 ways (also called "checkpoints"), click on "Back to Menu" in the upper left margin.
From the QUICK main menu, click on "QUICK QUIZ" (middle of the page) and take the quiz.
When you answer all 8 questions correctly, you will be shown a "Congratulations" screen. Print this screen and attach it to the end of this assignment.

EVALAUTE THE WEB PAGE ON YOUR TOPIC

In Lesson 9, question #25, you found a Web page relevant to your research topic. Write below the title of this page and its URL:

Title: _________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

URL: ________________________________________________________________________

Evaluate this Web page using the QUICK criteria, as presented below:

Checkpoint #1: Is it clear who has written the information?

The author of this Web page is: ____________________________________ name of person/s
(choose one)___________________________________________________ name of organization
__________________________ __________________________ not given

If the author is a person, does he/she list education, occupation, position, membership in professional organizations, other affiliations, etc.? ____ yes _____ no

If the author is a person, based on your answer to the previous question, do you feel this person is qualified to write on the topic? _____ yes _____ no _____ not sure

If the author is an organization (company, non-profit group, etc.), is there a description of the nature and purpose of this organization? ____ yes _____ no

(NOTE: This information is sometimes available at the site's home page, if the page is part of a larger Web site.)

If the author is an organization, do you feel it is qualified to be presenting information on this topic?

____ yes _____ no _____ not sure

Is the page you've chosen to evaluate part of a larger Web site? ____ yes ____ no

If no, skip to Checkpoint #2.

[HINT: To find out if the page is part of a larger Web site, look for a link to "home" and click on it. If there's no "home" link, try truncating the URL back to each single forward slash (/) and pressing <enter>. In other words, by erasing subdirectories in the URL one at a time and going "backwards," you're often eventually brought to the larger Web site that your page is part of.]

If this page is part of a larger Web site, what is the title of the larger Web site?

__________________________________________________________________________

What sort of organization is responsible for this larger Web site?

(HINT: Look for the domain name in the URL.)

_____ educational ____ government ____ commercial ____ non-profit ____ military

Do you feel the organization responsible for this larger Web site is qualified to be presenting information on the topic discussed at the page you're evaluating?

____ yes ____ no ____ not sure

Checkpoint #2: Are the aims of the page clear?

The information being presented at this Web page is:
(NOTE: More than one choice may apply.)

____ scholarly (written by qualified researchers in the field)

____ professional (written by those in a certain profession intended to be read by others in that profession or interested members of the general public)

____ popular (written for the general public. No special expertise/education required.)

____ commercial (primarily functions as an advertisement for a company, service, or product)

____ advocacy (primarily functions to promote a political, ideological, or philosophical view)

____ entertainment (for amusement only)

Therefore, this Web page is apparently intended for:
(NOTE: The creators of a site may be targeting more than one audience.)

____ the general public

____ scholars of a particular academic field

____ college students

____ high school students

____ children

____ members of an organization or profession

____ other Please specify: _____________________________________

The apparent purpose of the information given at this page is to:
(NOTE: More than one choice may apply.)

____ inform

____ market a product or service

____ explain

____ promote a company

____ persuade

____ parody a person, organization, point of view or idea

____ advocate a cause

____ entertain and/or amuse

____ other, Please specify: ______________________________________________________

Checkpoint #3: Does the page achieve its aims?

Did this page provide the information it promised?

____ Yes, it provided an in-depth analysis and discussion, just as promised.

____ Yes, but the discussion tended to be cursory and brief, rather than focused and in-depth.

____ No, the page did not give me the information it promised.

____ Yes and No. It only provided some of what it promised.

Checkpoint #4: Is the site relevant to me?

Does this page significantly increase your understanding and knowledge of issues related to your research topic?

____ Yes. Please explain how: ___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____ No. Please explain why not: __________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____ Yes and No. Please explain: _________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Checkpoint #5: Can the information be checked?

How does the author back up his facts, assertions, arguments, and conclusions?
(check all that apply)

____ original research and experiments done either in a lab or out in the world

____ personal observation and interviews

____ books, journal articles, and other published documents

____ author makes arguments and draws conclusions without any clear or credible method of supporting and documenting his/her claims

____ not sure

Does the author provide credible documentation (i.e. citations and/or bibliographies)?

____ yes ____ no

Checkpoint #6: When was the page produced?

Is it important to have up-to-date information for the topic being presented at this Web site?

____ yes ____ no ____ not sure

Is there a date at the top or bottom of the page that indicates when it was placed on the Web or last updated?

____ yes The date given is ___________________
____ no

Checkpoint #7: Is the information biased in any way?

What can you conclude about the objectivity or subjectivity of the information being presented?

____ the information strives to be an objective discussion of the topic(s)

____ the information being presented is clearly and heavily influenced by the perspective and/or ideological stance of the author, i.e. this is a subjective presentation

____ the information being presented is distorted and/or unbalanced because of a political, ideological and/or cultural biases on the part of the author/presenter

____ the information being presented is purely entertainment, therefore objectivity is not a crucial factor

____ not sure

Is there any indication that this page (or larger Web site, if applicable) has accepted advertising or sponsorship that might influence the objectivity of the information being presented?

_____ yes _____ no _____ not sure

Your Conclusion:

Taking into account all the specifics of the evaluation you've now completed, is this Web page appropriate for a college-level research project in terms of overall credibility and authoritativeness?

____ Yes, absolutely. Please explain: ______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____ Yes, but with some reservations or conditions. Please explain:

______________________________________________________________________________

____ No. Please explain: ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____ Not sure. Please explain: ___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

LESSON 10: SUMMARY

Stages 6 and 7 of the research process require you to undertake the crucial task of evaluating information. Your assessment begins even before you have the book or article in hand, by closely examining the bibliographic citation and looking for clues indicating quality and relevance. You can delve even deeper by looking for information about an author's qualifications and reading reviews of a work. When evaluating Web sites, use the QUICK criteria to guide you.

LESSON 10: KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

Research is not merely finding information. It's also about evaluating information for relevance and credibility.
There are 3 ways to get a sense of an item's perspective, relevance, and quality even before you have it in your hands:
Because of the Internet's complete lack of quality control, you must arm yourself with an active, healthy skepticism. Not all Web sources are reliable or credible.
QUICK: The Quality Information Checklist, offers you an approach for thoroughly evaluating Web sites.

LESSON 10: REVIEW THE CONCEPTS

1) There are 8 specific parts of a bibliographic citation that contain "clues" to an item's quality and relevance. Name any 3 of these specific parts and briefly explain how each might help you assess an item's perspective, quality, or relevance.

______________________________________________________________________________

2) What is the "alternative press"?

______________________________________________________________________________

3) What are the 4 ways to learn more about the background of an author?

______________________________________________

4) How are book reviews helpful when doing research?

______________________________________________________________________________

5) Why is it important to evaluate information found on the Internet?

______________________________________________________________________________

LESSON EVALUATION

6) What is the most important thing you learned from this lesson?

_________________________________________________________________________

7) What questions do you still have about the topics covered in this lesson?

_________________________________________________________________________

EXTRA CREDIT

If you would like extra credit or just some additional practice, go to the Cañada College Learning Center and take the Academic.com exercise called "Evaluating Credibility of Print Resources." Ask for assistance at the Learning Center Help Desk. When the exercise is completed, print out a copy of your Academic.com profile and attach it to this assignment.

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Adapted from LSCI 100: Introduction to Information Resources, Skyline College. Content by Dennis Wolbers, edited & designed by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA
Revised and updated Sept 02 by Jane McKenna, Cañada College Library.

LIBERAL	CENTRIST	CONSERVATIVE
New Left Review	Maclean's	Policy Review
Mother Jones	Economist	Strategic Review
Monthly Review	US News & Word Report	Public Opinion
Progressive	Time	Cato Journal
Nation	Newsweek	Soldier of Fortune
New Statesman	New Republic	National Review