Think About: What Web sites do you normally frequent?

Discovering Credibility Source Credibility Discovering Credibility

Credibility A credible source is one that is trustworthy, providing true, accurate, and balanced information.

Library Sources Generally, periodicals, journals, and other sources found in the College Library are considered credible because professionals must gain approval for the writing before publication.

Web Sources On the other hand, anyone may create a Web site, so the credibility of that information is usually more difficult to determine.

Evaluating Web Sites Most people conduct Internet research by using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo and typing in key words. This process normally turns up thousands of Web site hits. Some of these sites are reliable, whereas others are not.

Evaluating Web Sites To determine a Web site’s credibility, consider the following questions:   What is the Web site’s purpose and affiliation? What are the author’s credentials? Is the information current? Does the information cross-reference well with other sites? Does the Web site look professional?

What is the Web Site’s Purpose and Affiliation? If a Web site is a business whose purpose is to sell you a product, for example, then would you necessarily want to trust them immediately? The business may tell you everything positive about the product and leave out the negative. Before trusting the site and buying the product, see what other sites say about the same item.

What Are the Author’s Credentials? . If the author is not familiar to you, look up his or her name using a search engine. If possible, find a complete biography of the author to review his or her credentials on the subject. Authors must:   be professional. have experience in their subject matter. possibly work for a credible organization.

Is the Information Current? If you read Web site information with no specific date, scroll to the bottom and look at the copyright date. You may also look for a last updated date. Stay away from information that is more than 2 years old unless the information is still current to your specific topic.

Does the Information Cross-Reference Well With Other Sites? If you have answered all the above questions, but you still cannot determine if the information provided is credible, cross-reference that information with other sites—go to other Web sites with information on the same topic to see if the information provided matches the initial information you found. If you find inconsistent information, you would not want to use the incorrect source as a reference.  

Is the Web Site Professional? These days, almost anyone may create a professional-looking Web site, but just because a site looks good does not necessarily mean it is. On the other hand, you may want to stay away from sites that look homemade or unprofessional. Additionally, look for errors. If links do not work or there are numerous problems with spelling and grammar, you may not want to trust the source.

Websites http://www.rythospital.com/2011/ http://www.petroldirect.com/

CHECKPOINT- Due Next Class! Use the handout to evaluate the relevance and credibility of one of the sources you have found.