Be a Web site detective

 make sure they’ve found good Web sites.  Good sites have accurate information, they are up to date

 make sure that the Web site is right for your research  Like detective work = you are investigating the Web site to see if its information is correct  Important to know where your information comes from and who put it there  Find out the author of the Web site = do you want to trust that person

Is the page mostly writing Is the vocabulary or reading level very advanced Websites designed for kids, often help you learn about something. Their purpose is to inform. The best are developed by experts or organizations related to the topic.

 Read through the information  Based on what you already know, is the information correct  If not move on  If accurate you might keep this website  Modify your search terms if you can’t find what you are looking for

 Check a Web site’s info against other sources  Encyclopedias, textbooks, Web sites Compare facts presented on one Web site with those presented on two other sites  Does the info agree?

 What is the date of the Web site?  When was it last updated?  Info changes over time  updated in the last 5 years for history topics  current events updated within the year

 Why does the Web site exist?  Sell a product  Author wants to persuade you to believe something  These are biased sites, one sided, favor one point of view or make you think a certain way You Want:  Purpose to inform  Present facts  teach

 References are the books, articles, or Websites that the author used to get his/her information  Citations page or Bibliography  Links to other Web sites  List of references shows you that the author worked hard to find accurate information

 Who is the author of the Web site?  The clues about the author can help you decide if the information is accurate  Best authors are experts on the topic  Author may be listed at the top or bottom of the article or in a list links  Look for: About Us, About this Site, Who are We, Click to learn more, Authors, or FAQ  Find a biography of the author on a website

 Look at the URL to see who might have published the Web site (pub. = the person or group of people who put the site on the Internet. May or may not be the same person as the author)  URLs .com = businesses .edu = colleges or schools .org = organization .gov = government

 Sites from museums or government agencies are good choices for school projects  Sites from.org or.edu and libraries = smart options too  Watch out for personal websites (ex: tripod.lycos.com and weebly.com = free sites that anyone can use to create. Homestead.com and webs.com. Sites with a tilde (~) in the URL = a personal site

 How a site looks gives you many clues 1. Purpose 2. Quality 3. Author/publisher  First Impressions 1. Nice design 2. Layout organized 3. Colorful 4. Easy to navigate

 Advertisements  Distracting  Sell you something rather than inform Look closely at other clues, don’t just ignore the site because it has some advertisements Could still be a useful site!

Audience author purpose Publication Overall The process of Web site evaluation helps you think about the sites you come across in different ways. You must put the clues together to decide if you should use the Web site for your research.

 Truesdell, Ann. Super Smart Information Strategies. Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Pub., Print  The 5 Ws of Web Evaluation = Kathy Shrock, 2001 – 2009  Web Site Evaluation Form = Read*Write*Think, copyright 2004