Bernard C. Beins - Effective Writing in Psychology

Table 3.2 Evaluating Internet Sources

For some websites, an organization or sponsor claims authorship, rather than a single author. In this case, you want to ask the same questions you would of a single author. If it is not possible to determine who sponsors the site, you can try truncating the URL (the web address) by deleting the part of the address to the right of the leftmost single backslash and then hit “enter.” For example, http://www.pharmtech.com/virus‐spread‐threatens‐pharmaceutical‐supplies‐and‐clinical‐researchtakes you to an article about the impact of the coronavirus (COVID‐19) on access to pharmaceutical products more generally. Truncating the URL to the left‐most single backslash will give you http://www.pharmtech.com, which is a website aimed at people within pharmaceutical industries. Knowing this information gives you important context for assessing the credibility of any content within that site.

For example, take the following address, which leads you to a site with information about evaluating websites: https://lib.nmu.edu/help/resource‐guides/subject‐guide/evaluating‐internet‐sources. Truncating it to the left‐most single backslash will give you the URL https://lib.nmu.edu, which is the library's home page for Northern Michigan University. Knowing that this is an educational site, rather than a commercial or personal one, gives you information that can help determine the purpose of the information on the page.

Determining the source and purpose of the information you find on the site can highlight some of the possible biases or assumptions that shape the information. Each of the following URLs contains information about ADHD, but each has a different purpose, as Table 3.3indicates. To practice evaluating websites, apply the criteria outlined in Table 3.2to the following links:

https://www.farrin.com/dangerous‐drugs/Ritalin‐lawyer‐north‐carolina‐legal‐helpis a page for a law firm;

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/drugsis part of a public television series about medicating children;

https://www.team‐adhd.com/adhd‐treatmentis part of the website for a pharmaceutical company;

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention‐deficit‐hyperactivity‐disorder‐adhd/index.shtmlis part of the National Institute of Mental Health's website.

Table 3.3 Web Pages, Advocacy, and Coverage for ADHD

Knowing the purpose of a site's existence can point to the possible biases or assumptions that shape its content. For example, the third URL does not contain a company's name, but a pharmaceutical corporation sponsors the site. Although the company ultimately wants to sell pharmaceuticals, the information is not necessarily inaccurate; however, it could mean that some facts are highlighted whereas others are deemphasized. Knowing this will help you ascertain the credibility and accuracy of the information on the site.