Evaluating Web Sites for Research: Part 3

Before you use a web site and its information for research purposes, you must evaluate it based on how objective it is. You can do this by determining the author's intentions behind presenting the information on the web site.

Be wary of an author who is merely attempting to express his or her opinions; there may be a significant amount of biased information behind those opinions. Online discussion boards and forums are something to watch out for in this regard, because the postings are often subjective.

If the author is merely trying to sell you something, the information on the web site could be biased as well. Some companies that sell products over the Internet are prone to making outlandish claims about what they offer in order to increase sales.

Other authors of web pages will make biased arguments based on their political convictions, so when you are researching a politically controversial topic, be sure to examine all points of view.