Is information on the web always reliable?

The world wide web (or web for short) is a huge online library of information.

Each website on the web is like a digital book, while each webpage is like a digital page inside that book.

The information on a website is called digital content, as it is stored on a digital device.

We can use a search engine to find things on the web.

The search engine acts like a digital librarian.

It keeps track of all the websites and helps us to find the digital content or information we are looking for.

The information in books for children can be trusted.

This is because they are written and checked by experts. The facts are true and there aren't any spelling mistakes.

Anyone can write and publish a website on the web.

The information on a website isn't always written by an expert and sometimes webpages are not checked before we see them.

This means that some digital content on the web is not reliable.

The information could be incorrect, inaccurate, or out of date.

You can spot unreliable websites by looking carefully for warning signs. This is called evaluating.

Look out for the following clues.

• It looks messy and disorganised and is hard to read.
• There are spelling mistakes.
• Lots of adverts appear on the page.
• There are no details about who made the website.
• The information is out of date.

To find reliable information on the web yourself, you will have to do some detective work and look for clues.

Let's have a look at some evaluating skills you can use.

When you search for information, the search engine will put the most popular and relevant websites it finds at the top of the search results list.

Your detective work can start there.

Sometimes an advert can appear at the top of the search results too. These will be marked Ad.

These are not always the most relevant links to click on. If you aren't sure, ask an adult.

Each website has its own address and that's another good place to look for clues.

• Look for familiar names and organisations that you trust.

• Does the web address begin with https://?

• For example: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Good luck with your website detective work!

You can find out more about evaluating digital content in this video.