Accuracy

Here are some questions, written by Susan A.Gardner, Hiltraut H. Benham, and Bridget M. Newell in their 1999 article "Oh, What a Tangled Web We've Woven! Helping Students Evaluate Sources,” published in English Journal, that you should answer when determining the accuracy of a source:

• • Is the information reliable and free from errors?

    • Why is this important? Information that is full of spelling, grammatical, or other proofreading errors comes across as unprofessional and unpolished, and therefore unreliable. While one or two small typos are generally forgivable, sites that looke lyke tihs. And haeve wierd Puncuation errors are a sign that the person who wrote the information is not a professional. Additionally, the information itself should be correct and not faulty or wrong. If you're not sure if the information is correct, do a search for the information and see what others have to say. If the vast majority agree, then it is likely that the information is correct.

  • Is a bibliography included to verify the information?

    • Why is this important? If a site cites other sources, a bibliography, works cited, or reference page or section should be included so that others can verify the information used in the site was used correctly and responsibly. As a bonus, you can use that references section to find more sources for your own paper!

• Is it clear who is responsible for the accuracy of the material?

  • • Why is this important? Does the author say who looked over the information, especially if the author is citing from other sources? If there is no claim made to the accuracy of the material presented, how can you know if the information is correct?

• Are there links to other reliable sources?

  • • Why is this important? If the site links you to other places to go to get information, then the author is being responsible in acknowledging that his site is not the only place to get information. It is important to get different sources of information so that you can see if there are any discrepancies or errors. If you find any, you will have to reconcile those differences by doing more research or contacting the author(s) to ask where their material came from.

• If statistical material is included, are the sources for these materials clearly stated?

  • • Why is this important? Statistics can be easily manipulated to show the outcome the author desires and therefore are not alway reliable unless the author states how many people were surveyed, what questions were asked, how the results were interpreted, and why that sampled survey is a fair and honest representation of the population the survey is speaking for. If the author does not tell you this information, then he should include a link to the site where the survey information came from. If there is no link, or if the site where the survey came from does not provide this information, then you should treat the statistics as suspect.