Not All Web Pages Are Created Equally.

Why Do We Need to Evaluate Sites

Can you tell which is the "real" site?

This one:  WhiteHouse.gov  or this one?   WhiteHouse.net or this one? WhiteHouse.org or this one?

This one: FBI.org or this one? FBI.gov

Another Good Reason to Evaluate

What To Consider

Authority Sponsor Currency Purpose Audience

Authority

• Is there an author? Is the author qualified? An expert?If not look for these clues:

Look for a header or footer showing affiliation. Look at the URL. http://www.fbi.gov Look at the domain. .edu, .com, .ac.uk, .org, .net

Remember:Anyone can publish anything on the web. WikiWebs, such as: WikipediaUse our subscription database:

ed1stop for Grolier’s EncyclopediaUsername: soquel_stuPassword: student

Sponsor

Is there a sponsoring institution such as a company, government agency, university?

Remember: A sponsor may show bias. Information on the web page may be presented differently

depending on the institution that is sponsoring the page.

Who sponsors this page?http://www.martinlutherking.org/

And now a word from our sponsor…

Currency

Is the page dated? If so, when was the last update? How current are the links? Have some expired or moved?

Remember:If current information is needed it is important to find out

when a web page was last updated.

Purpose

What appears to be the purpose for this information? to inform? To explain? To persuade? To advertise or sell?

Intended Audience

Who is the intended audience? School children? Teens? Adults? Volleyball players? People interested in buying a computer?

Questions to ask

Who wrote the page? When was it written? Why was it written? Is is biased? Is the author an expert?

Is the page easy to use? Is the page free from

HTML errors? Are the graphics

useful? Can you verify the

information? Is the bibliography

included?

It’s okay to be confused!

There are billions of websites out there Many of them are not worthy of your time and

don’t belong in your bibliographies! Sometimes it’s very hard to tell treasure

from trash

Sometimes Web developers don’t want you to understand the difference

Look for credibility clues!

When there is no author: Words and phrases to look for:

About us, Who Am I, FAQ’s E-mail

If you have no information other than an e-mail link, write a polite e-mail asking for more information.

Do a link check (or what do other think?) In Google or AltaVista type:

link:https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html Your results will show which other sites have chosen to link to this

page. If respectable institutions have linked to a site, that provides a clue about the site’s credibility.

Truncate the URL

Go from:· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/cha

ucer/smith.htm· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/cha

ucer· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages· http://www.statecollege.edu/history· http://www.statecollege.edu/

URLs as clues to content

.com=commercial sites (vary in their credibility)

.gov=U.S. government site .org=organization, often non-

profit. Some have strong bias and agendas

.edu=school or university site (is it K-12? By a student? By a scholar?)

.store=retail business .int=international institution

.ac=educational institution (like .edu)

.mil=U.S. military site .net=networked service

provider, Internet administrative site

.museum=museum .name=individual Internet

user .biz=a business .pro=professional’s site ~=personal site

Compare two sites

Which of these would be better to use for a research paper on CLONING?

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml

http://www.genochoice.com/

Remember, the free Web is not your only choice?

Did you use print sources? Did you search subscription databases? Did you check with your teacher-librarian

for advice?

Just as you evaluate your sources . . .

Your teacher will evaluate your work based on the quality of the sources you select.

ASK YOURSELF: Is this site good enough to cite?

Use KnightCite to help you create your Works Cited or Bibliography

Quality always counts!

There are bigger questions in life!You will be using information to

make important decisions! Which car should I buy? Which doctor should I choose? Should my child have this surgery? Should I take this medication?

You want to be able to ensure the information you choose is reliable, credible, current, balanced, relevant, and accurate!

Hoax Sites – Don’t Be Fooled

Golden Gate Tunnel The True but Little Known Facts about

Women and Aids, with documentation National Geographic Article Trick Photos Martin Luther King, Jr. HOAX SITES ARE FUN

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

Applying This Knowledge When Using the Web as a Research Tool

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