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Research 101: Evaluating Information on the Internet: Accuracy

Find out how to avoid a catastrophe when you engage with a web site!

Checking for accuracy is challenging & can be time consuming, but is definitely worth it to know whether something you are using is actually right or not! What to do we mean by accurate? Accuracy refers to " quality or state of being correct or precise," according to Oxford English Dictionary, and it involves the needed element of honesty and an honest look at real truth.. Retrieved from  en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/accuracy

Getting Something That's Accurate - What You Can Do

checkmark Double-check the facts - Can they be verified in other, reliable sources?

checkmark Double-check the opinions presented - do they line up with the facts?

checkmark Determine how many or how few facts have actually been provided - missing any?

 

Face looking down and smilingGetting Something Accurate: Check the Author's Claims

checkmark What evidence does the author give to support the claims presented?

checkmark What resources or data has the author consulted to back up his or her claims? Look for a list of references. And look for the quality of those references--for timeliness, authority, etc.

checkmark Does evidence found elsewhere support or refute these claims?

Take the Challenge!

Inaccuracies can be found anywhere--in the way someone has collected the information or in the way in which someone presents the information. Take a look at the two examples below.

What kind of inaccuracies did you find discussed at each of these sites?

Compare what you identified with what we found below:

If you read the first paragraph on this web page from the CDC (see our screen shot below), you find the following limitations of COVID-19 data collection:

  • COVID-19 can cause just mild symptoms, and those cases aren't likely to be represented in the numbers
  • Symptoms that don't appear immediately may get missed in the case reporting
  • Delays in reporting and testing may impact the current accuracy of the number
  • Not everyone who is infected gets tested and therefore those cases aren't reflected in the numbers collected by the CDC
  • Not everyone who is infected seeks medical care and therefore those cases aren't reflected in the numbers collected by the CDC
  • There are differences in how cases are reported to the CDC that can impact the accuracy of the numbers

In 2016, the website had basically the same information, yet was more concise and certain about the issue of accuracy.

Bottom line: we find that according to the CDC, "counting exact numbers of COVID-19 cases is not possible."

Here we have an example of someone who has already double-checked statements made by others for accuracy: FactCheck.org is a non-partisan fact-checking non-profit organization. In this case, the FactCheck staff have discovered that claims made by Gov. Cuomo and President Trump included both accurate information and inaccuracies. The image you see is of the last paragraph--the concluding remarks--from the writer at the FactCheck site.

It is often the case to find inaccuracies in the midst of other, accurate information. That's what makes it hard to recognize at times without doing a lot of digging, as you can see FactCheck staff have done here.

Bottom Line: Here, in both cases, according to what the FactCheck writer has apparently discovered, the individuals appear to have made sweeping remarks--which is also a good "red flag" for the reader--with inaccuracies blended in with some accurate information. Sweeping, vague comments and claims are often indicative of bias, inaccuracy, and (unintentional or intentional) misrepresentation.