Not All Web Pages Are Created Equally

There are a Zillion Good Reasons to Evaluate

What To Consider  Authority  Sponsor  Currency  Purpose  Audience

Authority Is there an author? Is the author qualified? An expert? If not look for these clues:  Look for a header or footer showing affiliation.  Look at the URL.  Look at the domain..edu,.com,.ac.uk,.org,.net  Remember: Anyone can publish anything on the web. WikiWebs, such as: WikipediaWikipedia Use our subscription database: ed1stoped1stop for Grolier’s Encyclopedia Username: soquel_stu Password: student

Sponsor  Is there a sponsoring institution such as a company, government agency, university?  Remember: A sponsor may show bias. Information on the web page may be presented differently depending on the institution that is sponsoring the page. Who sponsors this page? And now a word from our sponsor…

Currency  Is the page dated? If so, when was the last update? How current are the links? Have some expired or moved?  Remember: If current information is needed it is important to find out when a web page was last updated.

Purpose  What appears to be the purpose for this information? to inform? To explain? To persuade? To advertise or sell?

Intended Audience  Who is the intended audience? School children? Teens? Adults? Volleyball players? People interested in buying a computer?

Look for credibility clues!  When there is no author : Words and phrases to look for: About us, Who Am I, FAQ’s  If you have no information other than an link, write a polite e- mail asking for more information. Do a link check (or what do other think?) In Google or AltaVista type:GoogleAltaVista link: Your results will show which other sites have chosen to link to this page. If respectable institutions have linked to a site, that provides a clue about the site’s credibility.

Truncate the URL Go from: · ucer/smith.htmhttp:// ucer/smith.htm · ucerhttp:// ucer · · ·

URLs as clues to content .com=commercial sites (vary in their credibility) .gov=U.S. government site .org=organization, often non- profit. Some have strong bias and agendas .edu=school or university site (is it K-12? By a student? By a scholar?) .store=retail business .int=international institution .ac=educational institution (like.edu) .mil=U.S. military site .net=networked service provider, Internet administrative site .museum=museum .name=individual Internet user .biz=a business .pro=professional’s site  ~=personal site

Compare two sites  Which of these would be better to use for a research paper on CLONING?  n_Genome/home.shtml n_Genome/home.shtml 

Remember, the free Web is not your only choice.  Did you use print sources?  Did you search subscription databases?  Did you check with your teacher-librarian for advice?

Just as you evaluate your sources... Your teacher will evaluate your work based on the quality of the sources you select. ASK YOURSELF: Is this site good enough to cite? Use KnightCite to help you create your Works Cited or BibliographyKnightCite Quality always counts!

Hoax Sites – Don’t Be Fooled  Golden Gate Tunnel Golden Gate Tunnel  The True but Little Known Facts about Women and Aids, with documentation The True but Little Known Facts about Women and Aids, with documentation  National Geographic Article Trick Photos National Geographic ArticleTrick Photos  Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  HOAX SITES ARE FUN HOAX SITES ARE FUN