Anyone can put anything on the Internet. A voice note on WhatsApp claims there is a curfew tonight; a website says a new cure has been found; a page has the “answers” to your homework. Before you believe it, share it or put it in your project, you need to judge whether it is reliable.
Build on what you learned in Forms 1–3
These Lower School ICT posts cover the basics of this topic:
- Search engines – finding information on the Web
- Introduction to the Internet, WWW and Hyperlinks – how web pages link together
- Blogs (Weblog) – a kind of website anyone can publish
- Wikis for online collaboration – websites that many people can edit
In this post:
- Why online information must be evaluated
- Authenticity – who is behind it?
- Currency – is it up to date?
- Relevance – does it answer my question?
- Bias – is it fair and balanced?
- A quick checklist you can use
Video: Evaluating Sources – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyMT08mD7Ds
Authenticity
Authenticity asks: is the information genuine, and does it really come from who it says it comes from? Is the author an expert?
- Look for an author’s name and qualifications, and an “About us” or contact page.
- Check the domain: .gov.tt, .gov.jm, .edu and well-known organisations (e.g. CXC, WHO, a national newspaper) are usually more trustworthy than an anonymous blog.
- Be careful of fake pages that copy a real logo, or web addresses with small spelling changes.
- Can you find the same facts on other reliable sites? If no one else reports it, be suspicious.
Currency
Currency asks: how recent is the information? Is it still true today?
- Look for the date it was published or last updated.
- Old information can be wrong now – prices, exchange rates, laws, the latest phone models and syllabus requirements all change.
- Old news is often re-shared as if it were new, e.g. a hurricane warning from three years ago.
Relevance
Relevance asks: does this information actually answer my question, at the right level and for the right place?
- A site about American tax law is not relevant to a question about tax in Barbados.
- A university research paper may be too advanced; a children’s site may be too simple.
- Ask: does it help my task? If not, move on, however interesting it is.
Bias
Bias asks: is the information presented fairly, or is it one-sided to persuade you or sell you something?
- Who benefits? A soft-drink company’s page saying sugar is harmless may be biased.
- Watch for emotional language, only one side of an argument, and “too good to be true” claims.
- Separate facts (can be checked) from opinions (what someone believes).
- Advertisements and sponsored posts are designed to persuade.
Video: How to Spot Fake News – FactCheck.org – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkwWcHekMdo
A quick checklist
| Question | Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Who wrote it? | Named expert or known organisation | No author, anonymous voice note |
| When? | Recent date shown | No date or very old |
| Does it fit my need? | Directly answers my question | Different country, wrong level, off topic |
| Is it fair? | Balanced, gives evidence and sources | One-sided, selling something, emotional |
| Can I confirm it? | Same facts on other reliable sites | Nobody else reports it |
See the original notes in Reliability of information sources, and learn to search better in Search engines.
Try it: Is this source reliable?
Read the source, then decide which test it fails (if any).
Related
Related: Video: Evaluating Sources of Information
Paper 1 practice (multiple choice)
Choose the best answer for each question. Try them all before you check.
1. Checking the date on which a web page was last updated is a test of its
(A) authenticity
(B) currency
(C) relevance
(D) bias
2. A website selling a weight-loss tea says the tea is the only healthy way to lose weight. This information is MOST likely
(A) current
(B) biased
(C) relevant
(D) machine-readable
3. Which source is MOST likely to give authentic information about CSEC registration deadlines?
(A) A forwarded social media post
(B) The official CXC website
(C) An anonymous blog
(D) A comment under a video
4. A student researching Caribbean history uses a site about European football. The site fails the test of
(A) currency
(B) relevance
(C) authenticity
(D) bias
5. Which of the following is the BEST way to confirm information found online?
(A) Share it to see if friends agree
(B) Check whether other reliable sources say the same thing
(C) Choose the site with the most colourful design
(D) Use the first search result only
Show answers
1. B
2. B
3. B
4. B
5. B
Paper 2 practice (structured question)
Marcus is doing research for a project on climate change in the Caribbean. He finds three sources:
• (A) a 2009 blog post with no author
• (B) a recent report on a regional university’s website
• (C) an article on an oil company’s website saying climate change is not a serious problem
(a) Explain what is meant by EACH of the following when evaluating online information:
(i) currency (1 mark)
(ii) bias (1 mark)
(b) For source A, identify TWO reasons why it may not be reliable. (2 marks)
(c) Explain why source C may be biased. (2 marks)
(d) State which source Marcus should rely on most and justify your choice. (2 marks)
Total: 8 marks
Show answers
(a)
(i) Currency – how up to date/recent the information is (1 mark)
(ii) Bias – information that is one-sided/favours a particular point of view (1 mark)
(b) It is old/out of date (2009) so it fails currency (1); no author so authenticity/expertise cannot be checked (1).
(c) The oil company benefits if people believe climate change is not serious (1), so it may present only one side/leave out evidence (1).
(d) Source B (1) – it is recent, from a credible/expert academic organisation and relevant to the Caribbean (1).
Next: Data Validation and Verification: Catching Errors Before They Cause Trouble
Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CSEC® Information Technology Syllabus (CXC 30/G/SYLL 17), Section 1: Computer Fundamentals and Information Processing, Specific Objective 12 (“evaluate the reliability of information obtained from online sources”).
Attributions to media used in this post:
No third-party images are used in this post. Embedded videos are credited on YouTube to their channels.
Updates
2026/10/16
– Shuffled the order of the scenarios in the “Try it: Is this source reliable?” activity so they no longer follow the same order as the answer buttons.
– Lists and algorithms laid out line by line.
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.
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