Evaluating Internet Sources Mrs. Karber

Content and Literacy Objectives To become familiar with one tool for evaluating the reliability of websites You will be listening, writing notes, and participating verbally.

Why evaluate Internet info? Anyone can place anything on the Internet! You could be looking at the work of a PhD or that of a first grade student. The information you choose to include in your research project will reflect upon YOU. Be sure it is reliable!

The CRAAP Test! Use the following criteria for helping you determine if a website is reliable for your research. Don’t be overwhelmed! You can look for all of these things rather quickly! Follow along on the laptop at your tables.

Currency Up-to-date information? Can you tell when the site was created or last updated? Do the links work? Is the info considered current for your topic?

Relevance Does the info relate to your topic? Is the topic covered adequately? Appropriate level for your needs? Who is the intended audience?

Authority Who is the author? What are his/her credentials? Is the affiliating organization reputable? Is there a way to contact this person/organization?

Authority—Domain Name.gov (government).edu (education).org (organization or special interest groups).com (commercial/company-- could be trying to sell something).net (network).mil (military)

Accuracy Is the info correct? Is the info cited—can it be verified by other sources? Are there spelling, grammatical, or typo errors?

Purpose Is the purpose of the site clear? (entertain, persuade, inform, etc.) Is there advertising? If so, what is being advertised? Are there obvious biases? Does the point of view appear impartial?

Sources “Evaluating Web Sources.” library.queensu.ca. Queen’s University, 4 Aug Web. 13 Oct Wichita State University Libraries. Evaluating Internet Sites Handout.

Practice Let’s take this website through the CRAAP test together!