Policy Researcher Tutorial

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Introduction

Evaluating What You Find on the Web

The World Wide Web has revolutionized the way most of us do research on all sorts of topics (buying a car, investigating health problems, etc.) While the Web has simplified life in many ways like any new technology, it has also introduced some new challenges. In particular, it seems to invite passive retrieval of information (identify a search word, type it in a search engine, and see what comes up).

This can yield a wide array of information from a number of sources that vary in quality.

As a social work student you must begin to develop critical skills in retrieving information, knowing the breadth of material available to you, and evaluating its relevance, quality and limitations:

Accuracy Does the information presented seem accurate? Are the facts verifiable?

Authority Who is the author? What expertise does he or she have on this topic? Who sponsors the site? Check the domain name to see if it is a university, business, organization, or an individual.

Objectivity What is the stated purpose of the site? Check the "About..." link if there is one. What position or opinion is presented and does it seem biased? What kind of sites does this one link to?

Currency On what date was the page created? Do you need more current information? Do links on the site still connect to their destination?

Use Would you quote information from this site in a college research paper?

Furthermore, you must begin developing the ability to affirmatively and strategically structure your research strategies. Research retrieval for your class projects and social work practice ought not to be purely a passive activity but rather a purposeful one. Developing this skill is imperative to your professional development as competent social workers. This library assignment, coupled with the three-part graded assignment for SW 530, is designed to help you learn and apply these skills.

The library assignment consists of two parts. The first is a tutorial. It is designed to introduce you to a wide variety of sources. Note that it helps to have a topic in mind while exploring the tutorial so we strongly suggest you use it as a way to do preliminary research on your course assignment. The second part is a “quiz” testing your acquired knowledge.

NOTE: The easiest way to navigate this tutorial is to use the <Prev and Next> buttons at the top and bottom of the page.