Research Tool Toggle navigation

Proposal

When conducting research, it is very important to know that the information you have is valid and reliable.  When information is reviewed and evaluated, users come to trust the source and consider that all the information is correct, However when it is not the case, users must evaluate the information themselves.  One of the most important parts when evaluating sources are looking for the author. The Author’s credentials helps you to determine how qualified  the author is. It tells you if the author is a specialist, or has done research on the subject. Unfortunately, some online encyclopedias, such as Wikipedia allow editors to add and modify content anonymously, and as a result, editors or authors have the freedom to post inappropriate or inaccurate information.

Brandt, D. Scott. “Evaluating Information On The Internet.” Computers In Libraries 16.(1996): 44-46. Education Source. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

This web article states the importance of knowing whether the information you receive is valid, reliable, authoritative and pertinent.  Unfortunately, the internet provides a lot of unreliable information. There are many ways in which information can be verified. An article is considered reliable if it is written by an authoritative source such as the Federal Government or a reliable organization. If it is authenticated as a part of an editorial or peer review process by a publisher and evaluated by experts, reviewers, or subject specialists it is also is a reliable source. Users must look closely at the reliability, credibility, perspective, and purpose of the information. This can be done by pointing out the author’s credentials and affiliation, the publisher, and the day produced, etc.

Denning, Peter, et al. “Wikipedia Risks.” Communications Of The ACM 48.12 (2005): 152. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

This web article discuss the the weakness  Wikipedia has acquired when it comes to knowledge organization and dissemination that applies wiki technology. Anyone is allowed to create and edit articles without spending time and formal editing and review processing. Wikipedia has published about 750,000 articles written by volunteers. This article also states that Wikipedia lacks reliability. It suggests that users must not accept information from estrangers of unknown qualifications. Wikipedia users are not able to know which information is accurate and which is not. Therefore, users are vulnerable to misinformation. Because contributors are unknown, users are not able to know the real motives for a specific article. Contributors may be altruists, political or even vandals. In addition, some contributors supply speculations, rumors, or incorrect information.

Reynolds, Cat. “ How To Verify Education Degrees”  EHow. 2013

This sources covers several procedures. These procedures are utilized in order to validate the credentials of a specific candidate  and  the  credibility of  information provided on a website. The first source provides a list of step by step instructions on how to verify degrees. Each step explains in a very detailed manner how to be sure that your candidate has met the required experience and educational requirements.

“ Evaluating Web Information” Ramsey Library UNC Asheville. Aug. 23, 2013

This source provides information; A step by step process  has been designed in order to evaluate weather information found on a website is legitimately based on the authors credibility.  With all the information that is accessible on the web, it’s incredibly important to evaluate the information. The lack of formal structure makes information at times unreliable. Anyone has access to uploading a homepage or website. Its common to come across an article written by an author lacking expertise on what is being discussed. The Web contains an enormous amount of information that vary in quality and credibility. Many commercial websites don’t provide author or publisher credentials. It’s your responsibility to develop the skills necessary to critically evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of the information found on the web.

The research has provided information on how to verify weather information found on

the web is reliable. Ways to research the source by which the information was provided are reassured by making sure that all credituals were met. As discussed, credential variability is very important in order to be sure that the provider of the information has the credentials and expertise in order to provide the correct information on a topic being researched.

This research tool that was created is a research engine that is specifically designed in order to verify instantly weather a website contains legitimate information. By pasting the URL within the search engine, the tool will automatically verify the legitimacy of the site.

We have created a step by step procedure in order to evaluate whether the analyzer ( person analyzing the URL) has met the experience and expertise in order to firmly analyze the sources being reviewed on the the research engine.

Illustrations

“ Earn A Degree Online Yes. And Why Higher Education Will Topple”. A Career Guide For Lost Humanities Majors. Blog. 2013

Weathers, Matthew. “ My Biola Transcript”. MatthewWeathers.com. Mar.17, 2007.

Works Cited

Brandt, D. Scott. “Evaluating Information On The Internet.” Computers In Libraries 16.(1996): 44-46. Education Source. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

Denning, Peter, et al. “Wikipedia Risks.” Communications Of The ACM 48.12 (2005): 152. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

Reynolds, Cat. “ How To Verify Education Degrees”  EHow. 2013

“ Evaluating Web Information” Ramsey Library UNC Asheville. Aug. 23, 2013