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Quinebaug Valley Campus Library

Quinebaug Valley HIST 1002 Western History from the 1500s

Online vs Library Resources

Types of information available online:

  • Information for personal use
  • Information from corporate sources (stock quotes, etc.)
  • Local, state, and federal government information
  • Current information from news sources
  • Information about hobbies, recreation, and personal interests
  • Information written for a general or popular audience
  • Social media and blog posts
  • Ads and shopping

Types of information available in a library database:

  • Information written for and by academics for academic purposes
  • Information organized and categorized enabling ease of use
  • Information that has been chosen by the QV Campus faculty and library staff to meet the specific needs of QV Campus students

Ready to choose between finding information online or at the library?  Here are some things to keep in mind that will help you find the best information for your current needs:

  • All research, whether you are doing research with a search engine or library database, is going to take time to do correctly.
  • A library database has collected articles specifically for academic audiences. 
  • A library database will only search for the items contained within that database, whereas a search engine will search across the web.
  • Many of the articles that could be useful in an academic setting are behind a paywall when searching a web engine such as Google Scholar.
  • The cost of the library databases and the articles within them are already part of the tuition and fees paid by students.
  • Most search engines (including Google and Bing) are created and maintained by for profit companies. Their primary goal is to make money.
  • It is possible for owners of webpages, for people, or for groups to manipulate a search engine to place their webpage/information higher onto the list of returns.  Some of these are labeled as ads, but some could look like legitimate information if the reader does not double check the information. Because of this, it may be necessary for you to scan several pages into the search results of an internet search before you get to the truly reliable, relevant information.
  • Information on the web and webpages get updated, deleted, and become outdated quickly.
  • There is no quality control or authority control on the Internet.  Anyone can create and post a webpage.
  • Search engines use relevance ranking.  This means the search engine looks at your past behavior and tries to anticipate what you need.
    • This ranking is very helpful when you are looking for a donut shop near you.
    • It is not helpful when you are looking for an academically suitable source for your paper on William Faulkner.

Source Evaluation

What? Source evaluation is a way for you to check the quality, accuracy, and relevance of a source. This is helpful for all types of sources, but is especially important when using websites or internet sources
Why? Since anyone can create a website or share information online without any review for accuracy, it's important to be careful when using a website as a source. While websites and internet articles can be good sources of information, they are more likely to have inaccuracies compared to peer-reviewed journals or reputable newspapers, such as The New York Times.
How to Get Started:
  1. Check the Domain
    • Learn how to find who and where the information is coming from. 
  2. Fact-Check Using Multiple Sources
    • Double check key information and statistics by comparing different websites. 
  3. Use the Source Evaluation Checklist
    • The Source Evaluation Checklist provides you with questions to ask yourself when evaluating an online source. This can help you determine the accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage of a source. 

What goes into a URL?

A URL is made up of several different parts. Each part can tell you important information about an online source. The domain name is a great place to start as it can provide information about the type of organization that owns the site, and the nature of the content. 

Check the TLD:

The Top-Level Domain (or TLD) can show the purpose of domain, based on the person or organization that owns the website. Websites with TLDs such as .gov, .edu, and .org are more likely to have accurate and relevant information, compared to .com websites because they are coming from an official source. 

Examples of TLDs:

TLD Details Example
.com

Stands for "commercial"

Website information can come from anyone.

 wikipedia.com
.gov

Stands for "government"

Website information comes from a government agency. 

 cdc.gov
.edu

Stands for "education"

Website information comes from an educational organization such as college, school, or university.

 ctstate.edu
.org

Stands for "organization"

Website information comes from a registered nonprofit organization.

 horizonwings.org

How can you tell if a website that seems trustworthy has unreliable information? How can you determine when a website contains both reliable information and inaccuracies? 

Even the best of us can be tricked into believing and re-posting bad information! Sometimes you need to judge information not just by where you found it, but consider its overall context. For example, a news article can contain many facts about an event, but it could also be contain personal or organization bias.
Questions to Ask Yourself: Why this Helps:
  1. Have you looked at/compared several articles from the first or second page of results to get a sense of what is out there before starting to read individual pages?
  1. Getting a feel for what information is out there will help you pick the sources that are likely to be most useful for your current project.
  1. Has the information been taken out of context?  Have important parts of the information been left out or changed?
  1. Context is key in understanding the trustworthiness of the information you have.  Any piece of information you have that has been taken out of context should be traced back to its original source.
  1. Have you located the best presentation of the information? 
  1. While the information may be the same across multiple locations, it may be easier to read, easier to understand, or presented by a more trustworthy source in particular places.
  1. Is it easy to find where the information originated? Have you found the same information on several different pages?  Is there a consensus about the issue or piece of information?  
  1. It has become easier to manipulate information online.  The information may have been taken out of context, or the information may have been changed.

Source Evaluation Checklist

To check if a website is a good source, be sure to ask the following questions in these categories: 

Criteria Questions to Ask Why is this Important?
Accuracy

Are there sources or links on the website that back up their claims? 

Do you see citations (MLA, APA, Chicago) or a Works Cited section?

Evaluating accuracy ensures that the information is correct and fact-based. Misinformation or disinformation can be hard to spot and can undermine an argument or lead to incorrect conclusions. 
Authority

Is the author an expert in this field of content? 

Is there any information regarding the background of the author? 

Does the author have any qualifications, awards, or credentials? 

 Understanding the authority of the author or publisher is essential because it establishes trust. If the author is an expert, the information is more likely to be credible. In contrast, relying on anonymous or unqualified sources can lead to misinformation or poorly supported arguments.
Objectivity

What is the intention or purpose of the article? Is it trying to inform, persuade, entertain or sell you something?

Does the source use personal opinions, emotions, or bias? 

Is the information presented in a balanced way, or does it favor a particular viewpoint over another? 

Every source has a perspective, but identifying bias allows you to use sources appropriately—either acknowledging or avoiding overly slanted information. 

Using multiple sources to cross-reference your information can be really useful when determining objectivity. 
Currency

How old is the article? Can you find a "last updated" note?

If this article is very old, how relevant is it now? Is it still useful? 

 The timeliness of information can drastically impact its relevance, especially in areas that evolve quickly, such as technology or medicine. Using outdated sources can impact the strength of your argument, or give you an inaccurate understanding of the field. 
Coverage

Compared to other sources on this topic, how useful is this source? 

Are there other sources that cover this topic better? More accurately? 

 A source that lacks depth or overlooks key aspects may not be as useful as others, and it is important to compare multiple sources to get the most complete understanding of a topic. 

Bonus Tip! While evaluating sources for bias, it's important to recognize your own personal biases and preferences. Everyone has viewpoints and opinions shaped by personal experiences, values, and beliefs, which unconsciously affect how we interpret information. For example, research shows that people tend to trust sources that support their existing beliefs while ignoring or downplaying conflicting evidence or opinions. This is called confirmation bias. When conducting research, be aware of these tendencies and try to approach sources with an open mind. This way, you're more likely to value information because it's credible, objective, and well-supported, rather than just because it matches your own views.