Conducting Credible Internet Research: C.A.R.S.

Using the World Wide Web is like becoming a detective or an investigative journalist. You must learn to check out Web sites for clues that will tell you if the site is a good one, an O.K. one, or a poor one. Anyone can put a site on the Web, and it is not illegal to put incorrect information on the Web. A sharp detective will know how to examine clues to determine whether or not a site is suitable.

What Is a Domain Name? The most common domain names: .com - commercial organizations (usually trying to sell something) .org - usually non-profit organizations, but not always .edu - educational institutions .gov - government .net - organizations involved in Internet services .int - international organizations A good detective must know where the author is coming from (the author's point of view). Sites are often written for the following purposes: to sell something, to educate, to sound off, or to organize for or support a cause. In the URL of the Web site you'll find a DOMAIN name. These domain names will often help you to decide who is sponsoring the site and where they are coming from.

How Do I Determine It’s Reliable? C.A.R.S. Credible Accurate Reasonable Supported

Credible Goal: A source that is created by a person or organization who knows the subject and who cares about its quality and relevance. Is there a publishing or sponsoring organization? Is the organization an authority on the subject? Is the author listed? Is the author an authority on the subject? How do you know? Are there spelling errors, grammar errors, dead links, or other problems that indicate a lack of quality control?

Accurate Goal: A source with information that is current, complete, and correct Does the information on the site agree with other sources? Does the site contradict itself? What is the date of publication or copyright? How recently has the site been updated?

Reasonable Goal: A source that is truthful and unbiased Does the author, host, publisher, or sponsor have a bias? What is the motivation or purpose for creating the site? (To sell a product? To advance a viewpoint or belief? To educate? )

Supported Goal: A source with verifiable sources of information Are the sources listed? Can they be checked? Is there a way to contact the author or organization?

Where Should I look for this information? Ideally, information such as the author, host organization, and publication date will be easily located at either the top or bottom of the page. Look at the URL. What domain does it use? (i.e. .org, .com, .net, .edu) Click on contact or about us

Unreliable Sources Wikipedia Blogs Tweets Personal Pages Some sites ending in .com (Answer.com) Forums Biased sites Unreliable sources can be highly interesting and insightful; sometimes they lead to valid information. For the purposes of research, however, be sure to verify their data on a more reliable site.

Boolean Searches -- Using Logic to Search Effectively via What Is A Boolean Search “Boolean searching is built on a method of symbolic logic developed by George Boole, a 19th century English mathematician. Boolean searches allow you to combine words and phrases using the words AND, OR, NOT (known as Boolean operators) to limit, broaden, or refine your search” (New York Public Library). A good researcher should know how to do a Boolean Search.

"AND" logic What Is A Boolean Search

"OR" logic OR : Using OR broadens a search to include results that contain either of the words you're looking for. What Is A Boolean Search

"NOT" logic NOT : Using NOT will narrow a search by exclusion. (Some search engines, like Google, recognize the minus (-) symbol, instead of the word NOT). What Is A Boolean Search

“keyword” Quotations : Placing quotations around a specific phrase will help you narrow results in order to find information containing that exact wording. What Is A Boolean Search

Another acronym for validating sources: the CRAAP test https://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf Currency Relevance Authority & Accuracy Purpose