During our lesson on Wednesday we reflected on how to be critical towards the material we find online and started discussing what criteria we commonly use to select a proper and authoritative website instead of another.
- the author (Who is he? Is it known in the community? If not, could he/she be considered authoritative? Does he/she mentions any sources?)
- the domain (What's the domain? Do cross-referencing - same info or opinions in other websites? Cited in other places? Is the "knowledge" protected by some kind of license? How many times has the site been visited?)
- graphics and layout (Are there emoticons or advertisements?)
- the contents (What type of information does it provide? Is the content reliable? Are there external references or useful links? Does it makes use of paragraphs, etc?)
- why and when was it published (If you are an academic or researcher, online journals pay-access only, open access online journals).
On the basis of these criteria, Sarah suggested us to make use of some specific tools in order to filter information on the Internet. I explored Google Blogs, where I searched information in blogs; Google Books, where I retrieved bits and pieces of a book; and Google Scholar, which provided me with online academic texts, abstracts or citations.
I have to admit that I was not so familiar with these tools and before this lesson I chose online materials simply on Google, without making any advanced research. Now I am proud of this new discovery as I can distinguish the materials I need more specifically.
As we are all preparing ourselves for our final thesis or we are constantly searching information on the web for our personal interest, I found this critical approach and these new tools very useful and interesting, especially because we can always make reference at the checklist when searching for information. This reflections can be fruitful and valid even when we read printed staff, such as newspapers and magazines too. So I wish you well on your search for your thesis!
Bye
Anna
Hi Anna!
RispondiEliminaI've just read your post.You explained what we did in class last Wednesday very clearly.As far as the last part of your message is concerned,I totally agree with you:as I wrote in my post, it is really very useful to use material that has already been filtered.In this way you know what kind of information you're retrieving (essays, blogs, articles,...),and don't have to waste a lot of time.During this course I've learnt a lot of new,useful things so far!
Bye,
Michela
Hi Dear! I completely agree with you!As I wrote in my post, we should be critical with every source. I think that your scheme about evaluating online sources is very effective and clear and could be applied to every kind of information you find during your researches for the thesis or everything else. Indeed, I reflected on my personal experience and I noticed that even when I'm looking for some information for my personal knowledge I filter the sources I find. So, protocol to follow is really useful if you don't want to get lost!
RispondiEliminaBye
Elisabetta
PS I think you could put a link on Google Blogs, Books and Scholar
PPS Sometimes when you use the verb 'search' you miss the word 'for' after it ;-)
Hi Anna!
RispondiEliminaI agree with you when you say that before last lesson you chose online material simply on Google. I did the same! Now, especially with Google Books and Scholar the research could be simplier.
See you soon
Cristina