Unlike similar information found in newspapers or television broadcasts, information available on the Internet is not regulated for quality or accuracy; therefore, it is particularly important for the individual Internet user to evaluate the resource or information. Keep in mind that almost anyone can publish anything they wish on the Web. It is often difficult to determine authorship of Web sources, and even if the author is listed, he or she may not always represent him or herself honestly, or he or she may represent opinions as fact. The responsibility is on the user to evaluate resources effectively.
Criteria for evaluation of Internet Information Resource:
There are some criteria for evaluating Internet information resources. Some of them are as:
1. Scope:
Scope is one of the major internet information resource evaluation tools. It covers several aspects, as given below:
Scope is one of the major internet information resource evaluation tools. It covers several aspects, as given below:
- i. What items are included?
- ii. What subject area, time period, formats or types of materials are covered?
- iii. Is it represents the thought of the author?
- iv. Does the actual scope match expectations?
>>Breadth:
- i. What aspects of subject are covered?
- ii. Is the resource focuses on a narrow area or include related topics?
>>Depth:
- i.What is the level of detail of the resource?
- ii. Is it appropriate for the users, for whom the information is designed?
>>Time:
- i. Is it contains recent and up-to-dated information?
>>Format:
- i. Is this document well organized?
2. Content: Contents of the text is one of the important areas of evaluation. Here are some clues:
- i. Is the info. Fact or opinion?
- ii. Does the site contain original information or simple link?
- iii. Does the resource is original or abstracted from author source?
It also covers several areas also:
a) Accuracy:
- i. Is the information reliable and error-free?
- ii. Is the information in the resource accurate?
- iii. Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
- iv. Is there any biases?
- v. Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors?
b) Authority:
- i. Does the information have a reputed author?
- ii. Does the publisher list his or her qualifications?
- iii. Are the author’s qualifications available?
- iv. Does s/he have expertise in this subject?
- v. Is the author associated with an educational institution or other reputable organization?
- vi. Are sources of information sited?
c) Currency:
- i. How frequently is the resource updated?
- ii. Is there a date for when the information was first written?
- iii. Is there a date for when the information was placed on the web?
- iv. Is there a date for when the information was last revised?
d) Uniqueness:
- i. Is the content is available in other forms (www, print, CD-ROM).
- ii. What advantages does the resource have?
- iii. If the resource is derived from another format, does it reflect the features of the original?
- iv. Have extra features been added?
e) Authenticity:
- i. Is the information authentic?
- ii. Where does the information originate?
- iii. Is the information from an established organization?
- iv. Has the information been reviewed by others to insure accuracy?
- v. Is this a primary source or secondary source of information?
f) Quality of writing:
- i. Is the format and length appropriate for information level?
- ii. Is the text well written, using an appropriate style?
g) Bibliography:
- i. Does the page have a bibliography?
3. Graphic and Multimedia design:
- i. Is the presentation of the resources is interesting to view?
- ii. Does the material use any graphs, chat or picture?
- iii. Is graphic materials are relevant to the text?
4. Purpose:
- i. What is the purpose of the audience?
- ii. Is it clearly describes?
- iii. Who is the intended audience? General public or scholarly people.
5. Workability:
- i. Is this document is user friendly?
- ii. Is it easy to search?
- iii. Is this interface is easy to use?
- iv. Is any helpful information is available?
- v. Is this document is easy to connect?
6. Cost:
- i. Is this resources are cost effective?
7. Review:
- i. Is this document reviewed by other?
- ii. What is the opinion of others about this document?
These are some of the evaluation criteria of information resources available in the internet. This criteria help us to know how effective and reliable information we found from internet.