Researching on the Internet

Last year, my children were constantly going online to do research for reports. They would type in a topic and then drown in hundreds of pieces of information. How can I direct them to reliable information that they can trust? - No Cybersurfer
Answer: Remind your children that anyone can create a Web site, from elementary-school students to Nobel Prize winners. They need to think about who has put the information on a Web site, as not all sites are equally reliable. Information on magazine and newspaper Web sites can be incomplete or biased; however, the reporters writing this information do try to present an accurate picture. Articles in popular magazines such as Time, Newsweek and BusinessWeek are not only reviewed by editors but often checked by researchers. And articles in professional journals are usually inspected even more carefully. Encyclopedia articles can typically be relied upon, as they are usually written by experts and verified by fact-checkers.
When they are researching, advise your children to look for the most recent information, unless the topic is of a historical nature. There are many Web sites that have very dated material that has become inaccurate.
In deciding whether or not material on a Web site is reliable, children need to look for other sites that support the same information. Also, they should think about whether the material agrees with what they already know about a topic.
Finally, teach your children to consider the reason information was posted on a Web site. Many organizations will have a definite bias. For example, there are groups supporting gun control and those advocating the right to bear arms. If your children learn to think about a source rather than blindly accepting that it is accurate because it is on the Internet, they will find excellent material online for their reports.