| Lesson
7: Evaluating Information |
 |
 |
Will
the web give me the same information I can find in the library online
databases? 
It
comes down to quality. You may find some good information on the World
Wide Web, but online databases are specifically designed for research.
In case you don't believe us, check out the differences between scholarly journal articles found in library online databases and material found on the web:
| Online Databases | The World Wide Web |
|
articles written by experts |
anyone can publish material |
| information goes through an editorial or review process | no editorial or review process (mostly) |
| includes author's credentials | author often a "mystery person," identity unverifiable |
|
published by professional scholarly societies or academic presses |
you must apply the same five evaluation criteria to every site |
| Who Publishes on the World Wide Web? |
Though the web was originally designed as a means to exchange military and scientific research data, it has since become a commercial playground.
Those with limited technical knowledge can put almost anything on the web for almost any purpose. The following entities publish freely and equally on the World Wide Web:
 |
government |
|
companies |
|
children
|
|
universities | |
advocacy groups | |
political candidates |
|
libraries | |
associations | |
criminals |
 |
|
 |