- Introduction
Learn- Try It
- Task
Learn
Remember that on the Web anyone can publish anything and that the Internet is volatile—meaning ever-changing. So pay close attention to the source of any information you find on the Web. For instance, for facts on ancient Egypt, a site created by National Geographic will be more reliable than a site put up by someone who's writing about their vacation at the pyramids.
Since no one actually monitors the information that is added to the World Wide Web, it is necessary for you to make sure you are using reliable sources. A good method for evaluating Internet information is the CRAAP test. This allows you to measure the validity of the information based on the five aspects below.
- Currency How current is this information? When was it posted? Updated?.
- Relevance Is the information important or relevant to your needs?.
- Authority Who is the author? How do they know this information?.
- Accuracy Is the information correct? Cross-reference it with other info..
- Purpose What is the purpose of this information? To inform? To sell? To persuade? Etc..
Always remember to choose your sources wisely. Try to select sources that offer as much of the following information as possible:
- Author's Name
- Author's Title or Position
- Author's Organizational Affiliation
- Date of Page Creation, and
- Date Last Updated.
