SWBAT understand how to evaluate sources

Do Now: Is this a reliable source? What makes it reliable

THIS IS NOT A RELIABLE SOURCE!!!

Evaluating Online Sources 1. Look at the URL Is it a personal page? What’s the domain? Gov sites - .gov Ed sites - .edu Nonprofit - .org (not restricted to nonprofits) Who published the page? Does it correspond to the name on the site? 2. Scan the page Look for links that say About Us, Philosophy, Background, or Biography Look for the “Last Updated” date at the bottom of the page Questions: Who wrote it? Is the information current? What are the author’s credentials on this subject?

3. Look for indicators of QUALITY Check the links, additional sources, related information. Are they real? Are they reliable? If the information is reproduced from another source, is it unaltered? Are they well-chosen, evaluated, annotated? Do links indicate a bias or do they represent other viewpoints? 4. What do OTHERS say? Who links to this page? What kind of links? What do they say? What do others say about the author or responsible authoring body? 5. Does it all ADD UP? What is the purpose of the page? Is it ironic? Is this as credible a source as a book or article

Evaluate the following website based on the criteria in front of you

This IS a reliable source!

ACTIVITY With your phone right now, Google your topic for your research paper. Make a list of the website addresses that come up. Take note of the criteria that we listed. How many meet the criteria?

Closing How can you tell if a source is reliable or not? Why do you have to be careful finding sources online? Finally, check out http://www.snopes.com/history/american/mlking.asp