Internet Credibility
Internet Credibility
For a person who does not do research on the internet, credibility may not mean a whole lot. Due to ease of access to the internet, a lot of people use this source to retrieve information. But, when the internet is used for this purpose, it is important to follow certain guidelines. The first thing that comes to most people's minds when they read something from the internet is, "Is this true?" One must learn to make up one's mind by asking exploratory questions about the source being used. For the information to have credibility not only does it entail believing the information but also making sure that one verifies it in many different ways.
The guidelines that I use for credibility verification are, that the information should come from an authentic source, the author or source should show evidence of knowledge, be of good quality, not be biased, be up-to-date, have summaries or abstracts, contain citations, be consistent, treat opposing views fairly, and the reader should always have an attitude of skepticism.
The first step to take when verifying credibility of a Web site is to use the URL to determine the source of the information. By doing this, one can decide whether the information is coming from an academic or a commercial source. This basically lets one know the authenticity of the source. One way to ascertain this is by looking at the URL extension, if it is .gov, or .edu, then we can at least have some assurance of the particular Web page having credibility. Academic systems enforce meticulous standards of research, reviews, and analytical cross-examinations by other literati in the field. The greater the number of people who have read and agreed with the information, the more reliable the information seems to be. Also if we have an author's name, we should look to see if he or she is affiliated to a reliable organization.
The second method would be for the author or source of the information to show some evidence
For a person who does not do research on the internet, credibility may not mean a whole lot. Due to ease of access to the internet, a lot of people use this source to retrieve information. But, when the internet is used for this purpose, it is important to follow certain guidelines. The first thing that comes to most people's minds when they read something from the internet is, "Is this true?" One must learn to make up one's mind by asking exploratory questions about the source being used. For the information to have credibility not only does it entail believing the information but also making sure that one verifies it in many different ways.
The guidelines that I use for credibility verification are, that the information should come from an authentic source, the author or source should show evidence of knowledge, be of good quality, not be biased, be up-to-date, have summaries or abstracts, contain citations, be consistent, treat opposing views fairly, and the reader should always have an attitude of skepticism.
The first step to take when verifying credibility of a Web site is to use the URL to determine the source of the information. By doing this, one can decide whether the information is coming from an academic or a commercial source. This basically lets one know the authenticity of the source. One way to ascertain this is by looking at the URL extension, if it is .gov, or .edu, then we can at least have some assurance of the particular Web page having credibility. Academic systems enforce meticulous standards of research, reviews, and analytical cross-examinations by other literati in the field. The greater the number of people who have read and agreed with the information, the more reliable the information seems to be. Also if we have an author's name, we should look to see if he or she is affiliated to a reliable organization.
The second method would be for the author or source of the information to show some evidence