Since today’s blogosphere conversations seem to be focusing on responsible blogging I figured I’d share the following checklist. The same things one should keep in mind when citing an Internet source for a paper also apply to blogs. Readers should keep the following in mind:
- Is the information reliable?
- Check the author’s credentials and affiliation. Is the author an expert in the field?
- Does the resource have a reputable organization or expert behind it?
- Are the sources of information stated? Can you verify the information?
- Can the author be contacted for clarification?
- Check for organizational or author biases.
Not all bloggers are pretending to be journalists. But when they do, readers need to take a step back and really consider what they’re reading.
(Thanks, University of Southern Maine.)