Announcements Lab Section C added (Thurs, 3pm-4:30) PsycInfo has changed in appearance library home page, article indexes, p Questions about PsycInfo Assignment

PsycInfo Assignment To Summarize: a list of 5 research questions, identify the one you used for the rest of the assignment (b) an introduction using at least 3 of the articles relevant to the research question, ending with your research (experimental) and null hypotheses (c) a printout of the 5 references you found using PsycInfo (d) a properly-formatted APA-style reference section for at least 5 references relevant to your research topic (d) a completed interlibrary loan form for a reference not available in the Acadia library (highlight this reference on the PsycInfo printout).

Introduction Writing an Introduction APA style Begin with your research question Not simply a summary; compare and contrast What material should an introduction contain? - topic the authors investigated -their hypotheses,variables, main findings see links page, p. 406 text, section 1.08 (p.11) APA manual

Discussion Overview What is different about information on the internet versus traditional resource material? What can be found on the World Wide Web? Evaluation techniques - CARS 3 central concerns: author, source, content Different types of Web Pages found Common problems and solutions

What is different about Internet information? Anyone can print anything on the World Wide Web. Unlike traditional resources, there is no one to review material, edit material, or rebuke erroneous information. Search engines cannot differentiate between a reputable source and an expert wannabe. All web sites, good and bad, will be retrieved equally.

What can be found on the Web? ANYTHING!! Facts - useful information if they are from a reputable source. Opinions - personal views of a subject. These may be useful, but use caution. Stories - may or may not contain facts -be VERY careful. Interpretations - again, personal views - be careful.

Statistics - can be useful information if the source is reliable and the stats have been collected and analysed correctly. Advertising - many sites are infomercials designed to sell the reader on a product, a company, or even an idea - use extreme caution!

5 Types of Web Pages Personal Informational News Advocacy Business/Marketing

Evaluating Personal Web Pages Are the author’s qualifications stated? Can you verify information about the author? Is there a reference section or bibliography? Is the material grammatically well-written? Is the material up-to-date? (last revised when?) Is the information complete and objective?

Author, Content, Source 3 most important things to examine when evaluating information Author - Reputable? Well-known? Dependable? Professional? Backed by a well-known organization? Content - Accurate? Up-to-date? Objective? Comprehensive? Complete? Verifiable? Source - Respectable? Reachable? Well- known? Easily accessed? Professional?

Review of Traditional Evaluation Techniques -CARS CARS = Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, Support Checklist that can discriminate high quality information from low quality information. The more criterion the resource meets, the more likely that it is a high quality piece of information.

Credibility How credible is the author, the content, the source in general? Look for sources that include author’s name, title, organizational affiliation, and contact information. Do you recognize the author’s name from other sources - if not, try to find the name in other resource material.

Positive Signs of Credibility Resource is found on an organization’s web site. Material is in an on-line journal that is peer reviewed. Material is taken from quality controlled books or magazines. Author is well reputed in his/her field, and highly reviewed by peers. Publisher has editors and fact checkers on staff.

Negative Signs of Credibility No author stated. No obvious signs of peer reviewing. Poor reviews of author, material, or web site. Material is grammatically poor. No indication of publisher responsibility. Bias in the material - someone is trying to sell you something!

Accuracy Is the information true, up-to-date, sufficiently detailed, and comprehensive? Important dates to look for: -date first created -date placed on web -date last revised Browsers can show creation and modification dates: eg. Netscape - view/document info

Accuracy Be critical of the purpose of the material. Articles that contain a hidden bias to persuade the reader in a certain direction are the most common kind of information found on the web. Make sure the material has been covered completely - sometimes on-line material has been edited from the printed version. Make sure the information has been kept up- to-date.

Positive Signs of Accuracy Material has been recently or continually revised. Material is from a reputable publisher and author. Dates are clearly and completely displayed. Information is complete and un-bias. Goals of material clearly stated.

Negative Signs of Accuracy Material has no date appearing on it, or an old date on material that changes rapidly. Material is vague or general. Material is bias or one-sided. Errors are found in the information presented.

C.A.R.S. Reasonableness Is the information presented fairly? Are the arguments reasonable? Is the information consistent? Is the information at a suitable level for the intended use? (is it intended for children, high school, university, or professionals)

Positive Signs of Reasonability Material is presented in a concise and effective manner. All aspects of the subject are covered objectively and clearly. Material is written without bias. Material is believable and makes sense. Information is consistent throughout presentation.

Negative Signs of Reasonability Material has an emotional undertone. Information seems exaggerated to get a point across. Material conflicts with common sense or is unbelievable. (This is not to say that seemingly unbelievable information is never fact, but it needs to checked out carefully before accepted.)

C.A.R.S. Support Is the material supported by citations from other sources? Are the other sources valid and dependable? Is a bibliography or reference section included? Can the material be backed up by other resource materials?

Positive Signs of Support Material is backed up with references and citations from credible sources. Author gives contact information. Links are relevant and credible. Additional information links are provided.

Negative signs of Support Material has no references to back up information. External collaboration is difficult or impossible to find. Author or publisher does not provide contact information. Other internet sources fail to back up the material.

5 Types of Web Pages Personal ( url will normally contain a tilde (~) somewhere in the address) News ( URL normally ends in.com) Informational (Usually sponsored by educational institutions (URL ends with.edu) or government agencies (URL ends with.gov). Advocacy ( url will normally end in.org.) Business/Marketing ( URL usually ends with.com)

Problems: Web Page Instability Browsers can alter web page design and format, putting information out of context. Pages may move or disappear without notice, leaving you unable to refer back to the reference. Web pages can be deliberately or accidentally altered.

Problems with Web Pages Always document the source as fully as possible, or print the material off so you have it to use as a reference later. Always include the date of retrieval as part of the reference. Attempt to verify the information by using external sources.

Conclusions The Internet is a valuable and necessary part of research in today’s high tech world. Because technology advances so quickly, standards and review boards cannot keep up. It is up to the individual (YOU) to evaluate the material being read. Familiarizing yourself with these guidelines will help you decide whether the information is high quality or low quality.

Evaluating WWW Sources Always examine the author, content, and source. Type of Knowledge- authority, personal observation, reasoning, scientific method CARS -credibility, accuracy, reasonableness, support. Decide what type of web page it is, which will help you decide how reliable the information is.

Accessing Information Part II WWW sources and evaluating web pages assignment Choose a topic Find 3 websites –electronic media source –scientific –nonscientific Create your own website on your axe account the site of your webpage to Jill Print and submit for Oct 5(A) / Oct 7(B/C) your webpage ; the first page of each of your 3 linked sites

PRACTICE! Go web surfing and evaluate the pages you find. What seems difficult at first will become easy with practice. For a list of web sites that are useful examples, go to: Library/examples.htm

Credits The information for this presentation was adapted from the following sources: tm Library/webeval/eval1198/index.htm Library/perspg.htm compiled by Crystal Todd