| In
this age of easy access to electronic information it is more necessary
than ever to carefully evaluate information sources that you plan
to use for research purposes. Information on the free web is constantly
being created and Revised. It is up to you to judge levels of accuracy,
quality and reliability. Though the free Web has much to offer, not
all sources are reliable. Always start your academic research either
on LION
or on the Library
Databases. Then you can consider using resources from
the free web, if appropriate. Consider these points when doing research
on the free Web.
What
is the Purpose of the free Web site?
- Audience:
What is the intended audience based on the content, style and
tone of the WWW page?
- Source: WWW
search engines offer a vast variety of results ranging from scholarly
documents to fan letters. Many of your search results will not
help with your research.
What is the Source of the free Web site?
- Is the author
or producing body identifiable?
- What are
the credentials of the author? Is the author's job title and address
included on the page? Do they have expertise on the subject?
- Is the sponsor
or location of the site appropriate to material as indicated in
the WWW address? For example:
- .edu is used
in addresses for educational institutions in the United States
- .gov is used
for addresses for sites maintained by the United States Government
- .com is used
for addresses for sites for commercial products or companies
- .org is used
for addresses for sites from non or for profit organizations.
- Countries
other than the U.S. end their addresses with a two letter country
abbreviation.
- A mail link
is offered on the page to request information or make comments
for the author.
Evaluating Free Web Content
- Accuracy:
- Is there
evidence of bias? What is the point of view of the information
presented?
- What is the
source of the information?
- Comprehensive
Information:
- Does the
content cover a specific period of time or aspect of the topic
only?
- Always use
additional print or electronic resources to complement the information
presented on the WWW site.
- Currency
- Has the WWW
site been Revised recently? Look for a date on the site.
- WWW Links
- Are the extra
links appropriate to your research?
- Search for
additional WWW sites on your topic.
Other Sources for Information on Evaluating free Web pages:
Online
Journals
Journal
Finder is a list of all of the journals SBC has in full
text through database subscriptions. Type in your journal title
and the finder will locate the journal you need. For more journal
subscriptions that are in print or on microform, connect to LION
to check the SBC Library catalog for holdings information on the
journals you need. If the journal is NOT held by
the SBC Library, request the articles you need on Interlibrary Loan.
The form is here.
RefWorks
RefWorks
is a database that organizes your "works cited" to create
quick bibliographies for your papers. It allows you to change your
entire bibliography from APA to MLA style (or many other styles)
in a snap, without fussing with formats or punctuation.
Just
go to RefWorks.
The first time you go there you will have to "Sign up for an
individual account." Once you sign up and login, click on the
References tab in the upper left corner of the screen.
On
the drop-down menu tool bar choose "Add New Reference."
On the following screen, start by selecting your prefered bibliographic
style (e.g. APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.) Then designate the type of
reference you are entering (e.g. journal, book or dissertation,
etc.) under Ref Type. Field names marked with a red asterisk indicate
required information needed to produce an accurate bibliography
for the selected output style and reference type. Click "Save"
when finished.
You
can Import references from selected databases. Importing allows
you to bring in multiple references at one time. Check the RefWorks
list of Supported Databases to see which products
will allow you to export multiple references to RefWorks.
If
you have any problems using RefWorks you can
check out their helpful online tutorials
or download the SBC Library RefWorks Handout. Please call a librarian
at x6307, x6306 or x6315 for a one-on-one training session.
Free Web
Indexes of Sites That have been Evaluated by Librarians and Other
Experts:
If you have
comments, questions, or would like to add a site, write to me.
Lisa N. Johnston (email: lnjohnston at sbc dot edu), Associate Director/ Head of Public Services, Sweet
Briar College LibraryRevised 1/08. |
