Identifying Reliable Websites By: Carlie Guritz Since we will be starting to research sources for the final paper, I need to discuss how to identify a reliable website.

The internet Provides billions of pieces of information Not always trustworthy: Reliable vs. Unreliable The internet is filled with billions of information for you to use. However, it is not always trustworthy. Anyone can create a website. There are some that have false information and lack facts. Before using a source you need to evaluate it. I strongly suggest you use the C.A.R.S. evaluation method.

C.a.r.s. Source Evaluation Credibility Accuracy Reasonableness Support C.A.R.S. stands for credibility, accuracy, reasonableness, and support.

Credibility Definition: “the quality of being believable or worthy  of trust” (Dictionary.com, 2014) A credible source is… Trustworthy Not biased Relatively current Backed up by other sources grammatical correct According to Dictionary.com, the definition of credibility is “the quality of being believable or worthy of trust” (Dictionary.com, 2014). A credible source is trustworthy, not biased, relatively current (at least past 5 years), backed up by other sources, and grammatically correct.

Credibility Checklist Author listed Author’s credentials: known or respected authority on the issue Organizational support URL ends with or contains .gov, .mil, .edu, or .org No spelling error or grammar mistakes These are the things you need to check for credibility. In a credible website the author(s) or organizations should list some credentials and should have a place to contact them. The credentials show that the author is knowledgeable in the subject, which is more trusting then someone just making up things. For your final papers, do not use commercial sites. Commercial sites have .com or .net in the address. Sites that end in .gov, .mil, .edu, or .org will be reliable for your research. Another main concept of credibility is whether the author has spelling errors or not. If you take a direct quote from a source with an error, you too would be counted down in the grammar portion of grading.

Accuracy Definition: “the condition or quality of being true, correct, or exact;  freedom from error or defect; precision or exactness; correctness.” (Dictionary.com, 2014) An accurate source is… Current Factual, detailed, and exact Is understandable The definition for accuracy is “the condition or quality of being true, correct, or exact; freedom from error or defect; precision of exactness; correctness” (Dictionary.com, 2014) The definition pretty much sums up what accuracy in a source is. An accurate source is current, factual, detailed, exact, and understandable.

Accuracy Checklist Current information Updated relatively recently Information factual, detail, and exact Completeness and accuracy Understandable Things to check are current information, date of updating, factual information, completeness, and understandable tone. As stated earlier find information that is no more than 5 years old, but if it is make sure that it is updated relatively recently. You want the most accurate information in your papers as possible, but if it is old it might not be knowledgeable on new discoveries. Information should be factual, detailed, and exact. The source must have an overall completeness, which means author finished work and has support. You also need to pick something that is understandable to your audience and yourself. If you do not understand the information presented, it will difficult for you to explain it.

Reasonableness Definition: Reasonable “agreeable to reason or sound judgment; logical: not exceeding the limit prescribed by reason; not excessive:” (Dictionary.com, 2014) A reasonable source is… Gives support Factual The next one is reasonableness. The definition of reasonableness is a form of the word reasonable, which means “agreeable to reason or sound judgment; logical” or “not exceeding the limit prescribed by reason; not excessive” (Dictionary.com, 2014). A reasonable source is factual and is supported by other sources.

Reasonableness Checklist Information is balanced, objective, reasoned Conflict of interest listed Support to any advisers No slanted tone-Biased If persuasive-opinions backed up with facts These are the things to check if the source is reasonable. Is the information balanced, objective, or reasoned? Is there a clear conflict of interest? Does the author give support to any other advisers or organizations? Is the source biased in any way? If persuasive, the opinions must be backed up with facts.

Support Definition: “to uphold (a person, cause, policy, etc.) by aid, countenance, one's vote, etc.; back; second. to maintain or advocate (a theory, principle, etc.)” (Dictionary.com, 2014) A supported source has Evidence Contact information to author Dictionary.com says the definition of support is “to uphold (a person, cause, policy, etc.) by aid, counternance, one’s vote, etc.; back; second” or “to maintain or advocate (a theory, principle, etc.)” (Dictionary.com, 2014) A supported source has evidence and contact information to the author, authors, or organization.

Support Checklist Evidence presented Authors contact information Information supported by other sources To check if your source has support consider the following. Is there evidence? Does the author give you contact information to ask more questions about the topic? And is the information supported by other sources? The important thing to remember with the supporting sources is to check if they are reliable also. If the other sources lack what we talked about, then most likely so is that source.

Practice Is it Reliable? www.Wikipedia.org www.nsf.gov www.indiana.edu www.besthistorysites.net www.myjcpl.org True or False Now it is time to practice! Write down on a piece of paper if you think these sources are reliable. Write true if you do and false if you don’t. Take the next five minutes to decide. (Will be completed as a group discussion, answers will appear on next slide.)

Answers www.Wikipedia.org FALSE www.nsf.gov TRUE www.indiana.edu www.besthistorysites.net www.myjcpl.org If you are still not sure what are reliable websites, make sure you ask me or another teacher! We are here to help! Lets see if you were right! (Reveal answers one at a time) www. Wikipedia.org is never a reliable website! The .org might have tricked you, but Wikipedia sources can be created by anyone. If you put true for www.nsf.gov you are correct! Government website are acceptable to use and are usually reliable. Www.indiana.edu is also true, .edu is an educational website and is also acceptable. Www. besthistorysites.net probably was a little tricky to decide if it was reliable or not. The answer is False. Remember .net is a commercial site and should not be used as support! Despite the title, best history sites, not all the information is necessarily true. Www.myjcpl.org is true. This is a public library filled with reliable information for you to use! If you are still not sure if your source is reliable, make sure you come and ask me or even another teacher. We are here teach you these things and guide you in the right direction. If you have any questions I would be happy to help!

C.A.R.S. Evaluation Sheet Download & More! C.A.R.S. Source Evaluation Worksheet.rtf C.R.A.P. Test Here is the download for the C.A.R.S. source evaluation. Use this to check the sources before including them in your paper. There is also another test that could help you through your research. The C.R.A.P. test includes most of what is in the C.A.R.S. test. You are allowed to use either one of these. http://www.mchs.net/mchslib/lessons/webeval.pdf

References Central Library MCHS. (2013/14). The C.R.A.P. Test [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.mchs.net/mchslib/lessons/webeval.pdf CLRC Writing Center. (n.d.). C.A.R.S. CHECKLIST FOR EVALUATING SOURCES [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.sbcc.edu/clrc/writing_center/wc_files/handout_masters/CARS%20Checklist%20for%20Evaluating%20Sources.pdf Credibility/ accuracy/ reasonableness/ support. (2014). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/ Olamit, J. (2013, March 17). Evaluating the Credibility of Websites. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from Literacy: Practice Skills Every Day website: http://www.mchs.net/mchslib/lessons/webeval.pdf Thomson High School. (2014). How to Identify Credible On-line Resources. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from Thomson High School website: http://www.mcduffie.k12.ga.us/ThomsonHigh.cfm?subpage=1267942