Evaluating Web Sources

1
Evaluating Web Sources

• West Fargo School District

2
Step 4Information Search Model

• Selecting and Evaluating Sources

3
Question

• How do I know if a site is a good site or not?

4
Answer

• I have to learn to evaluate.

5
C A R S

• Credibility
• Accuracy
• Reasonableness
• Support
• Harris, Robert. Evaluating Internet Research
  Sources. 17 November 1997. Online. Internet. 28
  November 2001. Available WWWhttp//www.virtualsal
  t.com/evalu8it.htm

6
Credibility

• Who is responsible?
• Often difficult to determine
• Any qualifications?
• Usually found at beginning or end of site
• Look for name of author contact information
• Look at About us or Contact us

7
Look for Authors Credentials

• Look all over
• Top, bottom, side bars, etc.
• Look for a link for an About us, a Biography
  section, a Philosophy
• 
  http//www.kathyschrock.com/
• If nothing is listed, truncate the URL

8
Truncating the URL

• Delete end characters of URL stopping at the
  first slash (/)
• Leave the slash (/)
• Example
• http//www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
• Check for credentials at each level
• Continue with one slash (/) at a time until you
  get to the domain name (if you need to)

9
What organization is represented?

• Have you heard of this organization?
• http//147.129.1.10/library/research/
  AIDSFACTS.htm
• Check for a disclaimer
• How do we verify credibility?
• E-mail Address-- not enough!
• Need Postal address or
• Telephone number
• Check the home page (truncate the URL)

10
Do I Stop Now?

• Yes, if site is not credible
• No, if site is credible
• If credible, continue with evaluation

11
Accuracy

• Date?
• Warning Undated factual or statistical
  information is no better than anonymous
  information. Dont use it.
• Revision date?
• Errors?
• Spelling
• Grammar

12
Reasonableness

• Emotionalism
• Purpose of the site
• Inform, explain, persuade, promote, sell, share,
  facts, disclose, rant, entice, etc.
• Bias
• Is there bias in the site? Good or bad to use?
• Advertising
• Do ads coincide with document?
• Is the advertiser a sponsor of the site?

13
Support

• Information in any other place?
• Look at the domain
• http//www.west-fargo.k12.nd.us
• .k12 school
• .edu college and university
• .com commercial
• .net internet resource
• .org nonprofit organization
• .gov government

14
Support

• Who has linked to the site?
• Use a search engine such as Google or AltaVista
  to see who has linked to the page
• In the search box precede the URL with link (no
  spaces) and press Enter
• Ex

http//www.google.com/
15
Decision time!!

• Do you or do you not use the site?
• NO, if you cannot verify the authors or
  sponsoring organization
• Then you need to carefully decide considering all
  of the criteria
• C A R S

16
C A R S

• Credibility
• Accuracy
• Reasonableness
• Support

17
That is Power!!

• Few sources meet every criteria in the list, but
  if you use the list, you will be a better user of
  information.

18
When to Use the Evaluation Sheets

• When evaluating pages on the Internet
• Lets take a look at the Library Web Resources

http//www.west-fargo.k12.nd.us/schools/middle/lib
rary/
19
Where Are the Forms

• In the library
• In the labs

20
Practice Assignment

• Everyone logon
• Click Library Web Resources
• Click Search Model
• Scroll down to Step 4
• Choose 1 of the assignments

21
Works Cited

• Harris, Robert. Evaluating Internet Research
  Sources. 17 November 2001. Online.
  Internet. 07 June 1999. Available WWW
  http//www. Virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
• Alexander, Jan and Tate, Marsha. Checklist for
  an Advocacy Web Page. 5 August 1996.
  Online. Internet. 23 April 1998. Available
  WWW http//www. science. widener.
  edu/withers/ advoc.htm.
• Schrock, Kathy. Critical Evaluation of a Web
  Site. 1996. Online. Internet. 27
  November 2001. Available WWW
  http//www.kathyschrock.com/abceval/index.htm

22
(No Transcript)