In the technologically enhanced learning environment of today, discussions of truth are greatly impacted by the way student interactions are aligned with how information is found using online sources. Starting points for discussions on truth begin with a greater understanding of the information students interact with and the ways that they seek,…

There is a common classroom refrain, "Don't use "Wikipedia"; it's unreliable." Unfortunately, this simple dismissal of the world's largest repository of information fails to engage students in a critical conversation about how knowledge within "Wikipedia" is constructed and shared. "Wikipedia" is available…

Introduction: Students increasingly depend on Web search for educational purposes. This causes concerns among education providers as some evidence indicates that in higher education, the disadvantages of Web search and personalised information are not justified by the benefits. Method: One hundred and twenty university students were surveyed about…

In two experiments we systematically examined whether contradictions between two web pages--of which one was commercially biased as stated in an "about us" section--stimulated university students' consideration of source information both during and after reading. In Experiment 1 "about us" information of the web pages was…

Information literacy instruction traditionally focuses on evaluating a source for bias, relevance, and timeliness, and rightfully so; this critical perspective is vital to a well-formed research process. However, this process is incomplete without a similar focus on the potential biases that the student brings to his or her interactions with…

A vast amount of information is now available online, produced by a variety of sources with a range of editorial oversight procedures. These range from very centralized information with multiple layers of review, to no oversight at all. Determining which information is credible can pose a real challenge. An experiment was designed to determine…

Results of three studies provide considerable support for the importance, existence, and the normative adequacy of the cognitive process of "second guessing." Preliminary data suggest that people are quite good at detaching sources of bias and make reasonable adjustments in their judgments to correct for those biases. (PD)