https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/446684280
How to Evaluate: QUOTA
There are five main evaluative criteria you can use when faced with a piece of information. An easy-to-remember acronym for these techniques is QUOTA. Ask yourself these questions for each criteria:
Qualified
- Author: What is the author’s education and experience? Does it qualify them as an expert on this topic? Do they reference any research to support their points?
- Company/Organization: Does the company or organization have a good reputation? What is the web domain (e.g. .com, .edu, etc.) of the site?
Up-To-Date
- Is the information current?
- When was it last updated?
- If a source is older, is it considered foundational in the field?
- For websites – are the links up to date and functioning?
Objective
- Does the content focus on facts and information? Or, does it state an opinion?
- Does the source use neutral or strong language? Is there slant or bias present? Is the message trying to convince you of something?
- Are there advertisements included with the information?
True
- Is the information correct and has been fact checked?
- Are there additional sources or references to verify the information?
- Do other experts agree?
- Was this information from a first-hand experience?
Applicable
- Does the content relate to your topic and answer your questions?
- Is it meant for children, experts, adults, or casual readers/viewers?
- Is it overly complex or not complex enough?
So Much Information…
After finding a source that is relevant to your topic, your detective work begins. Anyone can write and publish information; books are often self-published, newspapers publish opinions, magazines may reflect bias, or an interview you watch may not be from the most knowledgeable person on a subject. Websites in particular can be tricky to assess. The ease of posting material online makes it easier to find information, but not so easy to evaluate it. You may not be a subject expert in the area you are researching, but there are a number of basic things to look for to help you evaluate the credibility of an information source.
Check the Web Domains
The domain of a website gives important clues to its credibility. You can find the domain name, sometimes called the domain suffix, in the URL of the website – it’s the .com in amazon.com, and the .edu in WGU.edu.
Government or Military (.gov or .mil) – Government or Military websites end in .gov or .mil, and in general are among the most reliable sources on the web. Beware of political sites used to sway public opinion.
University (.edu) – University web sites end in .edu, and are usually reliable. Use these sites with caution, checking for credibility and authority.
Company Website (.com) – Company web sites generally end in .com. These sites are great for information about a particular company. However be aware that company websites are used to promote, so be sure the information is non-biased.
Special Interest (.org) – While many professional and non-profit organizations end in .org, there are also many .orgs that are biased and promote a specific agenda.
Wikipedia: Credible or Not?
Wikipedia describes itself as “a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free-access, free content Internet encyclopedia…” The collaborative nature of the site encourages users to submit and edit content. Critics of Wikipedia point out that some articles are incomplete, biased, unreliable, and inaccurate. However, Wikipedia does have mechanisms in place to raise the quality of articles including user reviews and flagging inappropriate or uncited content.
The answer to whether Wikipedia is credible or not is that it is both a credible and not credible source! To find the most credible information on Wikipedia, there are few things to pay attention to. A sign of a well-written Wikipedia article begins with in-line citations including attributions and reference tags. An example of an attribution is “According to Dr. Robert Fitzgerald of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center…” or “In the 2010 US Census report…” Reference tags are hyperlinked numbers that coincide with citations listed at the end of the article in the Reference section. A recommended practice is to use Wikipedia to locate other sources of information and use those in your research.
