The term search engine has become a household word. Many people have become skilled with Boolean logic and other advanced search techniques. Now that information retrieval skills have increased, we can focus on evaluating the online information we find, which is at least an equally important skill. And, of course, much information on the Internet isn t reliable. Traditional newspapers rely on editors to determine the accuracy and overall quality of their articles.
Many journals also rely on the peer review process.
But a great deal of online information doesn t go through those traditional filters. Anyone can put up a Web site, and it often is difficult to tell how frequently the information is updated, how well the facts have been checked, and whether or not the digital publisher is trying to promote a biased view of the data. Fortunately, several Web sites produced by libraries and educational institutions offer guidelines for evaluating online content. Several questions are listed under each topic. Let the reader beware, Kirk points out.