" Staff and students need to learn to apply these concepts critically to the sites they are visiting so they become thoughtful and discerning information consumers. A healthy amount of scepticism is warranted."

Jamie Mackenzie, From Now On, [Online] www.fno.org/jun97/eval.html

There are many pitfalls to watch out for when learners are accessing information independently. While we wish them to learn the skills of independent searching rather than having the information provided for them, we must guide and assist them to evaluate the information that they find. Click here to link to read some basics of evaluating information:

• Bias
• Credibility
• Accuracy
• Purpose

There are times when we, as educators need to guide learners in evaluating information and particularly information found on the Internet. Click here to read the true story of Zak, which was written by Alan November, a well-known expert on information literacy. This story illustrates the necessity for educators to guide learner searches and assist with their critical evaluation of the information they find. The story also provides some excellent guidelines on how to critically evaluate information.

To access further optional reading on critical evaluation of information see:

• Comparing & Evaluating Web Information Sources
• Critically Analysing Information Sources
• An online presentation on Web Resource Evaluation Tecniques
• Links to Additional Sites with Web Evaluation Materials