I've done it. You've done it. Everybody is doing it. We hop online, open our favorite browser, and type in a few key words to see what there is to see about a topic we're interested in. Does it matter if the topic is formal or informal in nature? Does it matter if the information we are looking for is for school, work or pleasure? For me I find that the answer is 'Yes' just as much as it is 'No'. But I like to think that training as I am to be a librarian (those special beings trained in information seeking strategies) and as a graduate student, that I know when I should be searching the world wide web and when I should be searching specialized databases.
But am I consistent in my searching? Could I be easily fooled if nudged in the wrong direction for my searching? I like to believe that I am able to discern between credible websites, based on research and logic, from those based on opinion, imagination, or personal beliefs. But what about everyone else? What kind of information seeking strategies are they using online? How well are they able to discern fact form fiction?
All these thoughts have been tumbling about in my mind for a few days now as a result of reading a yahoo.com news article by Dykes posted on February 2, 2010. The article talks about a press release posted on January 28, 2011 from Pearson, a provider of educational materials and services. The press release discussed a study where children were told to research an endangered animal, the "Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus." They found a website dedicated to the imaginary animal on which they based their research project on. Reportedly, after being told it was a hoax and the animal didn't exist, some of the children still believed the information they had found online to be true.
Dr. Donald Leu, one of the researchers involved in the study, states, " Anyone can publish anything on the Internet and today's students are not prepared to critically evaluate the information they find there" (Miller, 2011). While the details of Leu's study are not known and so the validity of the results can not be verified, the study still brings up some important research questions - How accurately are students evaluating online information? And what online researching techniques are they being taught to help them find that information?
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