Finding credible Sources On the Internet

There is so much information on the Web How do you separate The GOOD From The BAD?

1. Determine the Authority of the Site. Who is in charge of the site? Is there contact information available to find out more about this person/group? Does the site have a reliable domain?

Common Domains .edu= educational institution—could be posted by students, teachers, or professors—check credentials http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ .gov= government supported—generally considered to be credible http://www.ed.gov/ .net= can belong to ANYONE—use caution http://meetjustinbieber.net .com= usually belong to business—use caution http://www.proactiv.com/ .mil= belong to U.S. military—generally credible http://www.army.mil/ .org= usually non-profit organizations—may or may not be credible; use caution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

2. Determine the accuracy of the site. Is it easy to see who wrote the information? Are all factual claims supported by cited sources? Are there any obvious grammatical or spelling errors? Was the page/site updated somewhat recently?

3. Determine the motivation of the site. Is there any bias that you notice in the information? Is the site trying to sell you something? Are the ads clearly separate from the information presented?

4. Use your common sense Just because something is on the Internet DOES NOT MEAN it is true. Any person with access to the Internet and a little spare time can create their own Web site. There is little or no government monitoring or control of what is published on Web sites.

5. Always Look For Common indicators of poor Web site credibility. No dates Bad grammar Old, outdated information No way to contact author Site is confusing Biased views

Let’s Practice Finding Credible Websites! Example #1: Ian’s Land of Castles Is this a good source to cite in academic writing? Why or why not? http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/ndarling/castle/castles.htm

Let’s Practice Finding Credible Websites! Example #2: “Smoking Cessation” Is this a good source to cite in academic writing? Why or why not? http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/cessati on/quitting/index.htm#benefits

Let’s Practice Finding Credible Websites! Example #3: “Nose-Picking in the Pongidae and Its Implication for Human Evolution” Is this a good source to cite in academic writing? Why or why not? http://www.calflora.net/primatenooz/nosepicking.html