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Evaluating Websites

BEFORE USING A WEBSITE FOR RESEARCH ASK THESE QUESTIONS FIRST…….

Who ? Authority

Why ? Purpose

What? Credenti

als

When ? Current

WHO

Who writes for the website?

Are the authors experts in their field/authority on the topic? Who publishes the website? Are they well-known ?

Can you contact them? Is there a phone number or mailing address (look for “about us” links

to find that information)

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE SITE?

To

Info

rm ?

To Sell ?To

Persuade ?

TO INFORM

For research you want to use sites that are INFORMING you (not selling or persuading or entertaining you)

ASK yourself--- Is it OBJECTIVE ? Or is it biased or prejudiced ? Are the authors or publishers of the website trying to persuade you to

their point of view? Are they trying to sell you something? Are they entertaining you and creating a spoof?

What’s wrong with this site Lake Michigan Whale Watching ?

WHEN WAS THE SITE CREATED OR LAST UPDATED? CURRENCY

Is it CurrentIs it contemporary

Or is it outdated?

Look for a date at the bottom of the website.

CAPOW!Before watching this video about

evaluating websites can you figure out what some of the letters in the acronym CAPOW stand for?

(they were used in this tutorial)

WHERE DOES THE INFORMATION COME FROM?

Domains are clues

.edu

.gov

.mil

.com

.net

.org

DOMAINS MOST RELIABLE FOR RESEARCH

.edu (education)

.gov (government)

.mil (military)

EVALUATE THESE DOMAINS CLOSELY:

.com (commercial) they may be trying to sell you something

.org (organization) mostly non-profits BUT now anyone can buy a .org domain so sometimes they are ‘hate

sites’ or spoofs

.net (network)

Always check facts from 3 sources to avoid being fooled from spoofs like the Lake Michigan Whale watching!

REVIEW

Here are criteria to remember when evaluating websites:

Authority (Who) Are they experts in their field?

Accuracy Are all facts correct?

Coverage Does the site offer enough information?

Currency (When) Is there a copyright and update date

Objectivity Is it unbiased? Is it fact based not opinion based?

Purpose (Why) Why are they publishing the site? To inform or sell

LINK TO THIS VIDEO

View this xtranormal project that explains how to evaluate websites slightly differently then the CAPOW video.

WORKSHEET

Open the worksheet (also located on the Media Lit classwork site)

Save to your H-Drive

Complete answers (this will be graded)

Print and hand in to me

When finished go to TypingPal and practice (or other project if you have passed Final Test)