When we are searching for information we always need to be thinking about the 5Ws to help us evaluate the information that we find. There are more in-depth evaluation techniques as well but this is a general framework that we can easily apply while doing cursory searching.
- Who? Authority
- Who is the author? What are their qualifications?
- What? Accuracy
- What is the purpose of the content? Is the content referencing any data or research? Was this content edited or fact checked?
- When? Currency
- When was this published? When was the last time the site was updated?
- Where? Publisher
- Where is this content from? Is this from a reputable source, has it been peer-reviewed? If you're finding it online, what is the domain of the site and what might that mean for this information?
- .com = a commercial site
- .gov = a government site
- .org = nonprofit organization site
- .edu = an educational site
- Why? Purpose & Objectivity
- Is there a statement of mission, purpose, target audience? Does it provide many opinions? Is it balanced? Does it contain mostly opinions or facts?
