Q: How can you meet the criteria " Extensive evaluation of resources chosen to ensure they are reliable"?
A: Evaluate your information source using these criteria:
Authorship:
- Who is the author? What authority do they have? are they an expert? are they qualified to speak on the subject? Open another tab and search for information on the author.
- Assess the source: is the website creator stated, who are they? Who is the publisher? Look for information about an organisation or publisher. Is the source a peer-reviewed or refereed journals which indicates that articles are scholarly. Is the source a blog? this generally present a personal viewpoint. the reliability of the evidence.
Currency or date:
- The date the information is published is important for medical information as medicine is constantly informed by new research. A twenty year old article on concussion is 'out of date' and not reliable. Only use information which is dated. When was the web page last updated?
Accuracy of information:
- Is there author bias, suggesting less credibility? What is the writer's angle? Truth telling or Advertising?
- Are facts or statistics from a reliable source, e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics?
- Use of emotive language indicates the information is opinion rather than fact
- URL domain, e.g. .gov .edu .com, indicates a government site, an educational body or a commercial organisation
Drawing on these criteria, WHAT CAN YOU SAY IN SUMMARY TO SHOW YOU'VE CRITICALLY EVALUATED THE INFORMATION?
HOW'D YOU GO? Consider the career of a FACT-CHECKER
