EVALUATING WEB RESOURCES

1
EVALUATING WEB RESOURCES

• Lucy Mason
• (Thanks to Vicky Dennis, Spain Park High School)

2
Why Evaluate Internet Sources

• Your work will only be as good as your
  information.
• The Internet has no quality control you are it!
• Unlike the information from AVL databases, the
  information may not have been checked for
  accuracy or bias.

3
ACCURACY

• Is there an author, editor, or someone else to
  verify information?
• Is the information correct according to other
  sources?
• Are there mistakes in spelling, grammar, etc.?
• Is there documentation bibliography, footnotes,
  credits, quotations?

4
AUTHORITY

• How did you find the source?
• What type is it? Scholarly, sensational,
  popular?
• Is there an author? Can you contact the author?
• What are the authors qualifications?
• A tilde () in the URL is for a personal website
  and may lack authority.

5
DOMAIN NAME

• .COM Anyone can purchase a .com.
• Always check these for accuracy
• and bias.
• .EDU educational institutions do these.
• They are usually reliable.
• .ORG - official sites for organizations that
• express the viewpoint of that
  group.

6
OBJECTIVITY

• What is the purpose of the information?
• To inform
• To persuade
• To advertise?
• Does the source show political or cultural bias?
• Do other sources provide other viewpoints?

7
AUDIENCE

• Is it clear who the audience is?
• Is the content appropriate?
• Is the reading level appropriate?
• Are the graphics appropriate?

8
CURRENCY

• When was it created?
• When was it updated?
• Does currency matter for your topic?