There is a lot of information to be found on the Internet, but the quality and trustworthiness is very varying.
You should realize that:
- Anyone can put something on the Internet - for almost any purpose
- They can say anything they like - be it true or false
- And leave it there as long as they like – without ever updating it
- Or change it without warning - perhaps even remove it completely
How does information on the Internet compare with information found in a library?
Information in scientific books, reports and journals has been through a process of selection and quality control.
- First a publisher, be it a commercial publishing house, a university or research institute, decided it was good enough to publish.
- Second, a librarian thought it was good and relevant enough to select for the (digital) library. In this selection process, the reputation of the publisher is taken into account.
A mix of trash and treasure
More and more of the materials available in academic libraries are also available on the Internet. Many scientific reports and journals are published online, although access to them is not always free.
But in general on the Internet no quality checks are required - anyone can publish anything they like! It is a mix of trash and treasure.
It's important to learn to judge the quality and trustworthiness of information you find on the Internet.