subject: Some Questions About Internet Sources You Need To Ask Before You Use Them [print this page] The internet it seems is replacing printed material as the chief source of information for research and development. Universities, colleges and even schools at elementary levels depend upon them for information and formulating curriculum. Unlike in printed media tracing the author and the publishers intentions and motives are difficult to establish, leave alone authenticating the information they dish out to the readers. Accessing the internet has become easier than ever before, and internet is getting faster too. Anyone with a FiOS Internet or a similar service can access information just by making a few strokes on their computers keyboard. But is the information that readers get reliable and fit for quoting are some of the answers you need to ask before you use them.
Here are some questions that you may want to ask before you use them as authenticated. If the answer for most of the questions is positive then you may use them, but to be on the safer side always attribute it with the URL. That will give your readers the option to accept or reject your findings as they deem fit. Besides it will also give credibility to your findings.
a.The first question you need to ask is: Is the author qualified to write on the topic? If the answer is yes, then what his credentials, and does he or she have the experience and means to write on the topic? That the author has a degree or even a doctorate doesnt always establish the authors skill you must remember. To establish that see if there is enough material in the internet source that will lead you to some printed publication which is widely distributed and quoted in researches.
b.The second question you need to ask is: In spite of all the positive answers is the author affiliated to some well known institution or is he a government official? If that is the case then you may reasonably count the information as reliable. That is because better known institutions and government bodies take sufficient care to verify the truth of what is being dished out by the author. If it has been peer viewed all the better. However, beware that even the best peer read and reviewed materials at times go wrong. Instead of straight away accepting the material, quote them. It will give you the leeway to disown should something go wrong in the future.
c.The third question you need to ask is: Is the currency of the document you are relying upon for your research up to date? Demographic information for example is one of the most difficult to interpret, and without interpretation the information itself can be of little value to your audience. Therein lays the problem because demographic information is difficult to obtain, and when governments do it, they are infrequent. Population enumeration for example is done in 10 year for example. And if you are at the end of a period the information you use for making projections may be even misleading.
d.The fourth question you need to ask is: What is the objectivity of the site that is publishing the information? Chances are that they are there simply to solicit advertisements and make money. For them filling pages after pages with text may be important. They may be under intense pressure to grow their site and hence may accept anything that comes their way. However that doesnt mean you reject the information straightaway. Try to cross check the information with other sources. If you cannot cross check then you will be better off without that in your work. When there is a conflict of information between a private source and government source, even if a belated one at that, rely on the government source.
