At this point in the Information Strategy, you have identified and obtained copies of articles, books, and other materials that provide useful information about your topic.
Now comes the last step of the Information Strategy and, unfortunately, the step most often neglected. Critically evaluating the information you have gathered is the most important of the steps of this Strategy.
Many people tend to accept without question information that comes from individuals or organizations considered (by them) to be beyond reproach or question--for example, a religious leader, particular newspapers or magazines, a high government official, a government Web site, a certain radio or television personality, and so on. Despite the supposed cynicism that is widely attributed to the average person in the United States these days, the inclination to accept information uncritically is alive and well.
It is essential that you take a skeptical look at the information you gather in order to test its validity, objectivity, and usefulness. Do not assume that the information must be true or objective just because you read it on a certain Web page, hear or see a certain person report it on the radio or TV, or read it in some well-known magazine, journal, or newspaper.
Many of us routinely do some evaluation of the information we take in, but few of us make the effort to evaluate our information to the extent truly needed--especially when it is to be used for a purpose that is very important to us.
The following is a list of questions to ask yourself once you have read an article or book, viewed a Web site, listened to or watched a news report on the radio or television, etc.; questions that will help you determine the true value of a piece of information.
Author/Publisher:
- Who is the author or reporter?
- What expertise does the author/reporter have that lends authority to the information coming from him or her?
- Who is the author or reporter affiliated with?
- What motive(s) might that organization or the author/reporter have in presenting that information in that particular way?
- Who published the information?
- What motive(s) might that publisher have in presenting that information in that particular way?
- What review process, if any, does the publisher go through before accepting and then printing, reporting, or displaying a piece of information?
- Some additional questions to ask if the information appears on a Web page --
- Does the Web page contain one or more easily-found links for contacting the person or group who put the page together (and not just a generic link to a "Webmaster")?
- And, if you do contact the author of the page, does the author respond?
- Does the Web page contain easily-found information about who the author is, what particular point of view they may support, and what expertise they may have?
Date of Publication (thanks to Joan Ormondroyd, Michael Engle, and Tony Cosgrave -- Cornell University Library):
- When was the information published or last revised?
- Is the publication or revision date appropriate for the topic and for what you wish to do with that topic?
- Depending on the topic, how current the information is may be very important. Is a publication or revision date easily found?
Content:
- Is the information presented in such a way that it is understandable and easy-to-follow?
- What audience is the information aimed at (scholars, the "average" person on the street, undergraduates, children, etc.)?
- Where did the information come from?
- Is it original research, a review of research done by others, an overview of a topic based on the work of others, is it strictly someone's opinion, an analysis of current or past events, a mixture of these things, etc.?
- If the publication promotes a distinct point of view (as opposed to objectively presenting a range of viewpoints about a topic), is that point of view admitted and explained?
- Does the publication contain a bibliography (a list of articles, books, etc. from which the information was partly or wholly derived)?
- If the results of research or a survey/opinion poll are presented, how much information is given about how those results were obtained?
- Are the methods used to obtain those results valid?
- Have those research or survey/poll results been replicated by others?
- An additional question to ask if the information appears on a Web site --
- Does the Web page appear to be regularly maintained? Not all Web pages need frequent updating, but regular, periodic maintenance is a good sign that the page is still active and that things that don't work will get fixed ... or, at least, that someone still cares about the page and the information it presents.
Does the article, book, government document, news program, Web site, etc. provide answers to the relevant questions above? If not ... why not?
- Check General Science for some useful sources of information about people and organizations.
Please keep in mind that there is a very natural tendency for people and organizations to present information in a way that best serves their own self-interests.
To operate intelligently in our society, to make up your own mind about important issues, and, in essence, to be free means that it is absolutely essential to critically evaluate the information you gather and use.
Be skeptical about the information you gather. You don't need to be cynical, but a little skepticism is healthy ... and smart.
Questions? Please let me know.
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