 Can be daunting with its volumes of resources  Takes skill & perseverance.  Should be done with prudence when: › selecting sites for your students to use › doing online research

 Magnitude of resources  ANY person can create a webpage  Search portals do not scrutinize sites  To be effective CONSUMERS of information.  To REACT to Internet information, not just RETRIEVE.

 Point of View or Perspective  Personal web pages  Advocacy web pages  Commercial/Business/marketing web pages  Informational web pages  News web pages  Entertainment pages

 C- credibility  A - accuracy  R – reasonableness  S – support  Authorship  Publishing body  Point of view or bias  Verifiability  Currency

 Credibility merely means that an author of a web site has credentials that prove he or she is knowledgeable in a field.  Questions to ask: › Is the author’s name present? › Is there a bibliography? › Is there a tilde (~) in the address or URL? › Is there biographical information listed?

 Accuracy means that the information offered at a site is correct and supported by other reputable sources.  Questions to ask: › Are there spelling errors? › Does it contradict itself? › Is the content meaningful? › Is the information outdated or obsolete?

 Author is well-known and well- regarded  Positive referral from another trusted source  Biographical information is given  Other contact information is supplied

 Reasonableness merely means that the information, data, tone, argument and perspective offered at a site are judicious and reasonable.  Questions to ask: › Does the author request personal data from the viewer › Does the author share extremist views that reveal undue anger or anxiety. › Does it include biased views or exaggeration? › Is a reasonable tone maintained throughout? › Is the purpose stated clearly?

 Support means that the site is sponsored by accredited institutions, and that the author is closely affiliated with major, respected organizations.  Support also means that the points made at the site are supported by evidence.  Questions to ask: › Are respected institutions identified as affiliates of the site? › Can you contact the affiliate organizations? › Does it contain primary source material and links to supporting documentation? › Is an abbreviation for a respected institution included in the URL?

 Name or link to governing organization  Organization is: › Recognizable › Suitable to topic at hand  Identified relationship between author and server  Verify server where document resides

 Decide where webpage resides (URL) › Corporate site? › Political agenda? › Philosophical agenda?

 Explanations of research methods provided  Bibliography / links to supporting documents  Individuals/sources are identifiable  Use other sources to cross-reference

 Date of information  Publication date  Date of last revision  Current, active links

.edu = Education Site .com = Commercial Sites - Unrestricted! .gov = Government Agency .org = Organizations – Unrestricted! .net = Intended for ISP’s & Networks (but can be purchased) .info = Unrestricted! .mil = military

.biz = Intended for Business – Unrestricted! .pro = Professionals/Organizations .k12.nj.us = Public / Private Schools .library.nj.us = Public Libraries .state.nj.us = Official State Websites .name = Individual, Personal Website .pro – A professional’s site.  ~ (tilde) or % – A personal site that varies in its credibility

 Web Search Strategies In Plain English  YoVpdz8o YoVpdz8o  Hints on identifying personal pages are available in Understanding and Decoding URLs.  general/evaluating/url.html general/evaluating/url.html 

 Read "Rising Tide: Sites Born of Hate", New York Times, March 18, 1999 to learn about tough-to-detect extremist point of views.  /02/circuits/articles/18hate.html /02/circuits/articles/18hate.html  Get students to evaluate web pages by exploring these hoax sites!  ts/TCEA/hoaxtable.html ts/TCEA/hoaxtable.html

Tutorial which explains the ABC’s (and D’s) of evaluating websites ALA’s Great Sites For Kids Selection Criteria Site includes a website evaluation checklist, a lesson plan, and a list of links for students to evaluate

 " Evaluating Internet Information." The Sheridan Libraries Homepage. Web. 15 July  "Helpful Hints to Help You Evaluate the Credibility of Web Resources." Mason Academic Research System (mason.gmu.edu). Web. 15 July  Morris, Pat. "Developing Validation Criteria for WebPages." Reading. Web.