1. Evaluating
Websites

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

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

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

5. 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?

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Is the sponsor or publisher reputable?
Go to:

10. Is the sponsor or publisher reputable?

11. Is the sponsor or publisher reputable?

12. 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.

13. 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:

14. Is the sponsor or publisher reputable? yes no

15. 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.

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

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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

20. 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.

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

22. 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

23. 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

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

25. 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?

26. 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