Internet Search Guidelines The CRHS graduate demonstrates technological literacy: Accesses and processes information from a variety of sources, including the Internet In other words, you need to know how to search for, use, and appropriately cite information from the internet 1

Internet Search Guidelines Citations For any webpage cited, you must include: – Author-Title of article – Date of publication-Title of website – Publishing organization – Date site was accessed-URL (website address) Example: – Matthews, Jesse. “Fiesta Casserole.” Recipe Sources. SOAR,14 Dec Web. 27 Jan

Internet Search Guidelines Finding information on the web is easy Confirming that the information is appropriate for citation is CHALLENGING You need to be sure that it’s – Factually accurate – Unbiased – Published “permanently” so others can find at a later date Its easy to be fooled! 3

Guideline #1 Is it a WIKI? – WIKI is a kind of site that anyone can contribute to WIKIpedia is the best example Also WIKIanswers and a lot more Ask.com, YAHOO! ANSWERS, etc. – Information can be questionable – Often no references – Can change daily Bottom line: don’t cite WIKIs – Okay to use for ideas, sources of information 4

What about Wikipedia? Pros – Huge source of info – Updated often – Often contains references – Well-edited for a Wiki Cons – Anyone can change most pages Recommendation – Use as a source of information – DON’T USE as a research source 5

Guideline #2 Is it a blog? – Blog stands for Weblog Essentially a web diary or opinion column – No control on information – Often available only for short time – Be careful Even good sites have blogs on them – Courant.com – Nytimes.com » (usually identified as blogs) Bottom line: avoid citing blogs – (term “blog” is usually in the name) 6

Guideline #3 Know the website type –.com = commercial (usually okay, consider bias) –.org = often a non-profit organization (often good) –.net = just about anything (look into source) –.edu = educational institution Beware of student webpages, faculty Blogs –.gov = government Bottom line- basic info on source 7

Guidelines #4, 5, 6 4. Does the article cite and list references? – This is always a good sign 5. Is the article and information current? 6. Is there an author listed? – Are the author’s credentials listed? – If there is no author, usually avoid the article – If the author is not listed, but the organization is trustworthy, the site may be fine 8

Guideline #7 Is the article biased? – Many sources of bias Companies selling a product Any group advocating a certain opinion or philosophy Politicians or group with political agenda – The less you know about a topic, the easier it is to be caught off guard – If it looks fishy, double-check All accurate information can be confirmed! 9

living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert- answers/bpa/faq living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert- answers/bpa/faq /good-plastic-bad-plastic.html 10