Evaluating Websites

What are our thoughts about doing college research on the Internet What are our thoughts about doing college research on the Internet? Benefits? Dangers?

Ask the following questions to decide if the web page you find is an authoritative, reliable source to reference in your research paper.

Who is the author or creator? Look for authority. Is the author an expert in the field? also… Who is the intended audience?

Who are Jean Lee and Randy Wei? What are their credentials? Is this page authoritative? yes no Why not? Well… Who are Jean Lee and Randy Wei? What are their credentials?

Oh… they’re students. Probably very bright students with a promising future, but not yet experts in their field of study.

Is this page authoritative? yes no The creator of this page is Harvard School of Public Health, an authoritative voice on the topic. “steering buyers away from nutritional danger zones and protecting them with the power of knowledge.” - product description

Where is this web page from? Look for the home page or at the domain. Is the publisher or sponsor reputable? White House Home Page whitehouse.gov Issues whitehouse.gov/issues The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide (Wikipedia) WWW = computer network consisting of a collection of internet sites that offer text and graphics and sound and animation resources through the hypertext transfer protocol (WordNet) Web site = collection of pages Web page = a document connected to the World Wide Web and viewable by anyone connected to the internet who has a web browser (WordNet, Princeton) Education whitehouse.gov/issues/education

Is the sponsor or publisher reputable? Go to: www.ihr.org

Is the sponsor or publisher reputable?

Is the sponsor or publisher reputable?

Is the sponsor or publisher reputable? yes no Do an Internet search for unfamiliar organizations to read what others have to say about the group.

the top-level domain and go to that site. Is the sponsor or publisher reputable? Delete the URL back to the top-level domain and go to that site. Example: www.apa.org

Is the sponsor or publisher reputable? yes no

If the creator & sponsoring group are not reputable experts on the subject, do not use the source. If they are, ask the next set of questions before relying on the source.

when was this material published, posted, or updated? Are dates appropriate for your needs? fasteddie.wordpress.com

Are dates appropriate for your needs? yes no For this topic, you will probably want the most current research. The 2001 study was current when the page was last updated, but much has likely changed in the last ten years.

Are the dates appropriate for your needs? yes no While the 2005 risk assessment may not sound current, the last reviewed date, 2011, suggests it is the most current assessment by the task force.

What is the content? Does info agree with other sources? Is it r e l e v a n t ? R e l i a b l e ? Does info agree with other sources?  How in-depth or general is the coverage? Is information balanced or biased? Does info agree with other sources – can talk about subjective vs. objective info, primary vs. secondary sources Web page or page on the Web? – can talk about source types found on the Web In-depth vs. general coverage – popular vs. scholarly

Is the content reliable? yes no Emotionally charged language suggests content is biased. Look for information that is balanced. Other viewpoints should be fairly presented.

Is the content reliable? yes no This article on the Web is on the prb.org site. Content is data-driven and objectively presented.

WHY was this material written or posted on the Internet? Look for a hidden agenda Motives should be clear To inform or teach To promote a cause or belief To sell To entertain

Is the purpose for publishing this website appropriate? yes no “steering buyers away from nutritional danger zones and protecting them with the power of knowledge.” - product description

appropriate? for publishing this website yes no Is the purpose Hosted by Stormfront

Remember the 5Ws Who is author & intended audience? Where is this Web page from? When was the page written or updated? What is the content? Is it relevant & reliable? Why was this Web page created?

Fullerton College Librarians Need help determining if a site you found is reliable? Ask a Librarian! Click on button to access post-session assessment poll