English B1A Evaluating Websites

Evaluating websites You already know that the information that comes from our library (the catalogue and databases) is of good quality. When you use websites for sources in research projects, you must learn to evaluate the information carefully before you deem it worthy of use. There are several questions you’ll need to ask yourself.

Question #1 Who put up or sponsored the website? Who is the author of the specific information you wish to cite? If you can’t find the information, you’ll want to ask a librarian to assist you—never cite the information without knowing this basic information! If the author and/or organization is one you are unfamiliar with, find out about them before citing to make sure that they are credible.

Question #2 What is the purpose of the website? You’ll want to know if the website is trying to sell you a product, convince you of something, or provide information about a current issue. Look for a “mission statement” or an “about us” segment to find this information if it isn’t readily available. You can also look at the ending of the url for clues, but remember, this isn’t fool-proof. com = commercial .net = network .gov = government .org = non-profit organization .edu = educational ~(tilde) = personal web page

Question #3 What is the point of view? Is there any bias or slant? Are multiple viewpoints on issues given?

Question #4 How credible is the source? Does the author or organization have expertise on the topic? What education, degrees, or work experience does the author have? Who is the intended audience? College students? Consumers? Children? Is it scholarly—that is, written by a researcher or expert for a college or academic audience? Are the sources credited with a bibliography, works cited list, or references? Are there any obvious errors or misinformation? Is it a collaborative site such as Wikipedia to which anyone can post or edit information?

Question #5 When was it last updated? If the topic that you are studying is one for which timely information is important, then make sure the information is as recent as possible. Look for copyright or last revised dates.

Question #6 Does the information seem or feel strange? Does it contradict what you know to be true about your topic from other, reputable sources?

Practice #1 Together, we’ll have a look at a couple of websites to evaluate them. The following website is about AIDS/HIV http://147.129.226.1/library/research/AIDSF ACTS.htm

Practice #2 www.martinlutherking.org