On the one hand, this process filtered out badly researched, biased and inept productions. On the other, it granted a very small elite of 'gatekeepers' the power to decide what we, as citizens, read, heard and watched. Thus digital technologies have democratized access to information and its production.. But they have also shifted the burden of evaluating that information decisively to users. 

The Internet forms a massive, ever-growing, ever-changing storehouse of digital information. Most Internet sources are poorly indexed, or not indexed at all. And while a search on an Internet search engine may provide a list of thousands of items, it cannot tell you how reliable, unprejudiced, well-researched or up-to-date any of that information is. Being able to evaluate critically a long list of links or titles, and then analyze closely the credibility of the information they contain are very valuable skills. 

Keep in mind that anyone can publish a web page and remember that no one is judging the accuracy, quality or impartiality of information before it is posted. Many organizations use the Internet for commercial purposes (to sell products) or to persuade readers of a particular point of view (to sell ideas). These sites may choose only the information that supports their claims, and may exclude other, potentially valuable data. Be particularly careful if you find yourself agreeing with the point of view of a site. You may not notice that the information provided is incomplete or one-sided. 

No category of Web sites is "better" than another. They serve different purposes. Reliable and unreliable Web sites exist in all categories. A personal Web site, which expresses the interests and biases of its author, is a legitimate us e of a Web site, as long as the Web site owner is up front about his or her identity. You may find valuable information on a personal web site. But, when researching an academic paper, you should concentrate on authoritative sources, whose backgrounds and reputations you can check.

The Milton Guidelines on evaluating digital information will help you complete this assignment.

Learning Goals

• to give you practice in evaluating raw data and deciding on its relevance to, and reliability for, your current research projects. 
• to sharpen your critical analysis of information you have found and your use of evidence to support your conclusions. 
• to develop a set of critical evaluative skills you will be able to apply to any information source, whether it be verbal (an interview, an observation case study, a survey, or a personal communication) or text-based (a book, a scholarly article, a magazine, etc.) or electronic (an internet site).

Criteria

Choose a web site relevant to the subject of your group project, if possible. Make sure you select a complex site suitable for college level academic work. The more complex the site, the more material you will have to work with. The grade will plummet if you choose a site of only a few pages. Now evaluate your web site, using in the following criteria:-

• Who is the author or producer of the information? Is that person an authority on the subject covered? (Does s/he include a list of qualifications or publications on the subject? Does s/he provide a bio?) Does s/he include contact information?

• If the web site is produced by an organization, what is the purpose of that organization? (To sell cars, to promote a particular political party, to advocate an agenda related to a global or social problem, to make money from the advertising it can sell on its site?) What is the reputation of that organization? Be wary of sites which publish information and express views without giving you any information about the author or publishing body. Web sites can masquerade as one type but may really have a hidden agenda 

 
• What points-of-view or biases might you expect to encounter from the author and/or from the organization? How complete and accurate is the information provided? Does the site balance information that supports its claims with information that challenges its claims?

• Are sources of information (bibliography, references to sources used, surveys, credits) given to support the statements that the author makes? 

• When was the information produced? Is it still up-to-date? (Watch out for sites that are written/posted recently but rely on out-of-date information to support their claims)

• How good is the navigation and linking architecture? How smoothly can you move through the site? How relevant are the internal and external links offered?

• How are graphics used? (For aesthetic reasons? To create a mood on the site that aids your understanding of its content? To add relevant information to the page? To advance the 'story' the page is telling? To help you navigate the site.)

• In the same vein, how are sound and visuals deployed? Any group can give itself an official-sounding name or logo. Keep yourself attuned to visual and aural clues (as well as textual clues) to help you recognize the true nature and intent of sites, and the reliability of their information.

• Interactivity characterizes our relationship to digital information on the internet (from clicking to participating in chat rooms). How does this influence the information you find? Does the fact that you 'discover' information add value to it? What special problems of evaluation does, for example, response to a chat or post to an online bulletin board present to the researcher

• How might other sources of information (perhaps in print) cover the subject more thoroughly or reliably?