Practicing Critical Evaluation of Online Sources Improves Student Search Behavior

This research investigated the effect of critical source evaluation on student online search behavior and results. The study employed an experimental design in which participants in the treatment condition conducted a prompted critical evaluation of a set of provided sources, while participants in the control condition reviewed them without any prompts. Participants in both conditions then searched online for sources on an assigned research topic. Server log data and participant survey responses were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative measures to identify the impact of the intervention, guided practice in the critical evaluation of online information, on their search behavior. Results showed that the treatment condition participants who conducted the prompted critical evaluation of sources performed better on most measures of search behavior, and appeared to be better prepared to search effectively and complete their group assignment. Implications for instructors and librarians teaching information literacy skills are discussed.