evaluating websites do you trust everyone to tell you the truth? osama bin laden, terrorist...
TRANSCRIPT
Evaluating WebsitesEvaluating WebsitesDo you trust everyone to Do you trust everyone to
tell you the truth?tell you the truth?
Osama bin Laden, Terrorist
1957-2011
Was one ofFBI’s 10
Most Wanted Fugitives
Reward:$52 million
WhoWho puts stuff on the puts stuff on the Web?Web?
Do you believe everythingyou see & hear?
I do! I do!
WHOOOO?WHOOOO?
•Selects•Edits•Approves•Reviews•Monitors
Content on the Internet?
Be suspicious of free info!Be suspicious of free info!Ask:Ask:
•Who?•What?•When?•Where?•Why?
The5 W’s
WhoWho??
Who is the author?
Authority?
Who? Authority
• Author/ group/ organization/ publisher/ sponsor responsible?
• Credentials/ qualifications? Expert?
• Look for links: Home, About, Background, Contact
•Google the name: “Homer Simpson”
•Truncate back the URL:
http://www.thesimpsons.com/characters
•Use www.whois.com or .net & enter URL
Click: Whois Lookup
WhatWhat??
What is the accuracy
of the site?
What? AccuracyYou should answer yes:•Does the info appear
accurate?
•Can you verify facts?
•Is the info scholarly?
•Is info documented with sources or links?
• Is/are the spelling/ grammar/ links correct?
• Is site linked to reputable sites? To check who links to this site:
Type in Google search box: link:paste URL Example:
link:http://www.fvza.org/index.html
WhenWhen??
When was the information
created?Currency?
WhenWhen? ? CurrencyCurrency• Is page dated? (no? – don’t use!)
• When was page created?
• When was page last updated or revised?
• Is any info out-of-date?
• Are links still active?• Does current date matter?
WhereWhere??
Where does the information come from?
URL – DomainURL – Domain??~ or % = personal page .gov = Government .mil = Military .edu = Education .org = Organization .com = Commercial .int = International .us, .uk = country codes
WhyWhy??
Why was the page created?
Is the purpose:Is the purpose:
•To inform?• To explain?• To persuade?• To sell?• To satirize?•To entertain?
Does the author:Does the author:•State his/her purpose?•Appear biased?•Distinguish fact from opinion?•Use excessive advertising?
http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/
CAUTIONCAUTION Never use information
you can’t verify!What about Wikipedia?
World Book Encyclopedia?Encyclopedia Britannica?
Never cite general encyclopedias like these when doing academic
research!
Citing InformationCiting Information• Database articles have citations!
• Son of Citation Machine• Easy Bib• NoodleTools Media Center has login info!
Whatever you use, you must format the citation yourself & double check it!