Wading Through the Web Conducting Research on the Internet Adapted from Dennis-Shaw, S., ReadWriteThink.org and www.media-awareness.ca

Wading Through the Web To tell if an Internet site is reliable Follow the 5 W’s (+1H) of Cyberspace: Who is the source of the information? What are you getting? When was the site created?

Wading Through the Web The 5 (+1) of cyberspace…cont. Where is the site? Why are you here? How can you tell what’s what??

Who is the source? Author and/or organization identified by name. Links to “in depth” information? A real world address/phone number given

Who is the source? the author is credible and authoritative—and you can prove it Enter the author’s name into a search engine—what do you find?

What are you getting (cont.) Does the information seem complete? Is it well written? How is the grammar, the spelling? Is there a list of further resources?

What are you getting? Watch for biased information: Broad, unsupported generalizations Appeals to emotion More than one viewpoint present Links provided to other viewpoints

When was the site created? Is the information up to date? Does it need to be? Is a reference date provided showing when it was put online or updated? A copyright? Do the links work?

Where is the site? What does the URL (site address) mean? means http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/sitemap.html means http: a hypertext document www. “World Wide Web” Media-awareness.ca/ the name of the person or organization hosting the site eng/sitemap the pathway html the code or format of the page

Where (revisited.) Originally, these codes meant… .org – a wide assortment of groups, often non-profit .com – commercial organizations .net – intended for organizations directly involved with the Internet

Where (cont.) Codes for organizations .gov - federal government departments .ca, .uk, or .au - country code of origin .edu – American or Canadian colleges and universities

Why are you here? Can I get the information faster off-line? Does the material suit my needs? Am I able to verify the information elsewhere?

How can I tell it’s valid? When in doubt, doubt Apply the 5 W’s Double—and triple check your facts and sources Use Meta Web information searches What other sites link to your site?

For example… http://www.hersheys.com/extra-dark/home.asp http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/298/1/49 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060102123255.htm

Your Task… Using the handout provided, evaluate your assigned website. Be prepared to meet in your groups next session—you will be compiling your information into a chart to present your findings to the class.

 1. Defenders of Wildlife  2.Endangered Animals by 5th Grade  3. Endangered Earth  4. World Endangered Species  5. World Wildlife Fund: Species (Age 12 or younger)  6. Endangered Specie Profiles and Photos  7.The Endangered Animals of the World 8. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Endangered Animals