Information Skills Tutorial: Browsing and Evaluating Your Results

At every stage of your search for information, you'll need to assess the relevance, quantity and accessibility of the references you find. Don't just accept the first set of results you get.

Relevance
Increasing the relevance of your results may take a number of attempts. Successful searching will involve continually refining your search.

If you're searching for journal articles, some sources will allow you to search for keywords appearing in certain parts of the article, such as the title or abstract. This will often increase the relevance of what you find.

Similarly, if your research requires only more recent information, adding a date limit will restrict the results to those within the relevant timeframe only. Some databases will also allow you to ‘sort’ your results, by showing the most relevant first. This ‘relevance’ is determined by how frequently your keywords occur in the article.

Quantity
If your search results in too many references, you will need to narrow your search. Using 'AND' to search for multiple keywords will narrow the scope of your search and increase the relevance of your results. If you are finding too few references, use 'OR' to broaden the scope of your search.

Accessibility
In some cases the accessibility of information can be as important as relevance. The most relevant journal article is of little use if you can't get hold of it.

In some cases it is possible to search exclusively for full-text items. However, it is important that you don't limit your search too much at the beginning – remember the  icon will search for full-text in all our holdings, not just the source you are checking.

Ultimately, if the full-text is not immediately available from Ulster print or online sources, you can always use the Document Delivery service to request material from other locations.

Accuracy

• Is it free from spelling errors?
• Is the text well-written and grammatically correct?
• Are the sources cited reliable and can they be verified elsewhere?

Authority

• Is the author identified? If the author has chosen to remain anonymous, ask yourself 'why?'
• Is the author a person you recognise as an expert on the topic? If not, is there enough information provided to establish the author’s credibility?
• Is the author affiliated to an academic institution or credible organisation?
• Are contact details and ‘about’ information provided?

Audience

• Who is the website’s intended audience? Academics? The general public? School children?
• Does it appropriately address the target audience?
• Is it relevant for your assignment or research?

Objectivity

• Is it a personal website, e.g. does it present more than one view point or is it biased?
• Is the website part of a commercial organisation, a political party or an organisation with a specific agenda? If yes, question the motives for publishing the information.

Currency

• Can you tell when the information was published?
• Is it an old article or image re-uploaded?
• Is the information up to date and are the links up to date and working?

A good website will show when it was ‘last updated’ or give a clear indication of the timeliness of the information. Working links indicate the website is being maintained and updated regularly.

Check the URL

Another useful hint is to take a look at the URL (web address) of the website. The domain name can help you establish if the information has been published by a credible source, e.g. .ac.uk, .gov.uk, .edu etc. However, some fake news sites mimic the url of a credible or reputable organisation, often by adding .co to the normal web address, e.g. www.politifact.com.co