Much if not most of the information that can be found on the Internet has not been through any kind of evaluation before being "published".  Unlike most information made available in traditional media, such as most printed books, newspapers, and magazines or published videos and tapes, the information available on the Internet has not been reviewed, selected, professionally edited, or otherwise revised to reflect professional practice or accepted standards of accuracy.

Pages on the web that are published by traditional publishers or by libraries have been through the traditional evaluation process before being published and provide a more dependable standard for evaluating an author or a page.  It is critical for everyone to evaluate all information we receive wherever and however it is published.  Almost all information reflects some particular perspective or is intended to persuade us of something.  Internet information requires even more careful examination for reliability.  There is a great deal of false information on the Internet, whether placed there intentionally or not.  We want you to know how to spot the difference, to become a careful consumer of online information.