EVALUATING SOURCES

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EVALUATING SOURCES

• INTRODUCTION
• Mrs. Hirtreiter

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EVALUATE

• EVALUATE
• To examine or judge carefully (dictionary.com)
• To look at something up close and determine its
  worth based on selected criteria. (Hirtreiter).

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO EVALUATE WEBSITES????

• Too much information available
• Helps in the selection and use the best
  information to answer a question, support a
  choice, or complete an assignment
• Websites are not always what they seem

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WHEN SHOULD WE EVALUATE WESITES????

• In school
• For research projects and homework
• For personal use
• Travel , purchases, etc.
• At work
• All the time! It is a lifelong skill!

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Authority

• Is the author identified?
• Does the author list his/her occupation,
  education, and credentials?
• Is the author the creator of the piece?
• Is there contact information?

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ACCURACYFreedom from mistake or error

• Are facts and statistics verified from other
  sources?
• Is the site free from errors in spelling and
  grammar?

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AUDIENCE

• Who is the webpage designed for?
• Does the info directly support your thesis or
  answer your questions?
• Can the info be ignored because it simply does
  not help?

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AUDIENCE

• Is the information from primary or secondary
  sources?
• Are the sources properly documented?
• What sites does the author link their page to?
  (easywhois.com)

http//humanities.osu.edu/departments/images/u_hal
l_autumn.jpg
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AUDIENCE
Look at the URL. What type of domain does it
come from? .com commercial .edu U.S. higher
education .gov U.S. federal government.org
for other organizations but can be used by
anyone .net for networks, but can be used by
anyone .mil for U.S. military .state.XX.us
U.S. state governments int International
organizations established by treaties
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AUDIENCE

• Look for a personal name
• ahirtreiter, ahirtreiter
• users or members or people
• Is the server a commercial ISP or other provider
  of web hosting (ex. aol.com, geocities.com)

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BIAS

• What is the purpose of the page???
• Does the source present a particular point of
  view?
• Is there a political or social agenda?
• To inform?
• To advocate a position?
• To sell ?

www.localaccess.com/wfwc/issue8/bias.htm
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CURRENCY

• Determine if the assignment requires the most
  current, up-to-date information
• When was the webpage created?
• When was the page updated?

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DESIGN

• Does the page take a long time to load?
• Is it easy to navigate
• Do graphics enhance or distract
• Are links current and relevant

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WEBSITES TO EVALUATE

• http//zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
• http//www.dhmo.org/
• http//www.sudftw.com/jackcon.htm

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HOW DO WE EVALUATE WEBSITES?

• Focus
• Determine what question you are trying to answer
• It is not necessary to use all the tools all the
  time or in any order. It will depend on the
  question you need to answer
• THE END