Not All Web Pages Are Created Equally.

Why Do We Need to Evaluate Sites Can you tell which is the "real" site? This one: WhiteHouse.gov or this one? WhiteHouse.net or this one? WhiteHouse.org or this one?WhiteHouse.govWhiteHouse.netWhiteHouse.org This one: FBI.org or this one? FBI.govFBI.org FBI.gov

Another Good Reason 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?

Questions to ask  Who wrote the page?  When was it written?  Why was it written?  Is is biased?  Is the author an expert?  Is the page easy to use?  Is the page free from HTML errors?  Are the graphics useful?  Can you verify the information?  Is the bibliography included?

It’s okay to be confused !  There are billions of websites out there  Many of them are not worthy of your time and don’t belong in your bibliographies!  Sometimes it’s very hard to tell treasure from trash  Sometimes Web developers don’t want you to understand the difference

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!

There are bigger questions in life! You will be using information to make important decisions! Which car should I buy? Which doctor should I choose? Should my child have this surgery? Should I take this medication?  You want to be able to ensure the information you choose is reliable, credible, current, balanced, relevant, and accurate!

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

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE Applying This Knowledge When Using the Web as a Research Tool B