It is a truism that the Internet is a complex information environment, which lacks the checks and balances that provide structure and authority in the print publishing environment. Alison Cooke has been notable among those attempting to provide guidance to quality information seekers on the Internet. A Guide to Finding Quality Information on the Internet is a welcome update to the first edition of Cooke’s work.
The book arises from Cooke’s background in information problems relating to medical sites, but draws examples from many subject areas, from motion pictures through mountaineering to job seeking. The sources considered are not just Web sites, but also extend to other sources, such as online databases, that are accessible through the Web.
A Guide to Finding Quality Information on the Internet aims to be a “comprehensive manual designed to assist Internet users in searching for high quality information, and in filtering through materials and assessing their quality once they have been found”. The book is divided into four broad areas:
- 1.
(1) An analysis of existing search tools, concentrating on their use to identify relevant quality information.
- 2.
(2) General methods for assessing the quality of information sources.
- 3.
(3) Specific criteria for the evaluation of particular types of sources (e.g. organisational sites, newsgroups, databases, electronic journals, etc.).
- 4.
(4) The use of checklists, kitemarks and other quality indicators.
The first section is a valuable introduction to the increasingly sophisticated search tools available. Cooke arranges search tools in a continuum: from metasearch tools, through search engines, to gateways and virtual libraries; reflecting the extent of value added by the search tool, in respect of structure and evaluation.
The second section, on assessing the quality of information resources, is the key chapter. The criteria for assessment are non‐prescriptive, but provide a toolbox approach: a range of criteria that users can apply to different types of sources. Cooke’s methodology considers ten areas of evaluation:
- 1.
(1) the purpose of the source;
- 2.
(2) coverage;
- 3.
(3) authority and reputation;
- 4.
(4) accuracy;
- 5.
(5) currency and maintenance;
- 6.
(6) accessibility;
- 7.
(7) presentation and arrangement;
- 8.
(8) ease of use;
- 9.
(9) comparison with other sources;
- 10.
(10) overall quality.
Cooke’s section on accuracy is strongly based on the medical background in evidence‐based health care, which gives rise to well‐established methods for assessing accuracy, for example by examining the research basis of the information, and the quality control process, e.g. peer review process. A minor quibble is that the accuracy checklist could include, for example, the journalists’ standby of correlating with other sources, and the method of sampling some information in which the user has his or her own expertise (what does the source say about your own country?).
The section on the assessment of full‐text documents has a useful example of assessing the source by “tracking back” from a URL, for example to determine that otherwise unidentified abortion information originates from National Right to Life Committee.
The section on the use of kitemarks and badges to assess sites includes sensible cautions in relation to approval badges – the ubiquitous “quality awards” handed out by Lycos et al., while providing guidance, are often based on the “coolness” of the site, rather than true information quality.
Each section is summarised by a useful checklist and these are compiled in an appendix. There is also a list of Web sites which provide entry points for quality information, and a glossary of Internet and information terminology.
Alexander and Tate’s (1999) Web Wisdom covers similar ground to A Guide to Finding Quality Information on the Internet, with a greater concentration on the strategies for assessing different types of sources, and a US perspective. However both Web Wisdom and Cooke’s A Guide to Finding Quality Information on the Internet: Selection and Evaluation Strategies are essential reading for anyone involved in research or reference work on the Internet, and should have a place on the shelf of most libraries.
