2. When I receive information, I usually... assume the author is an expert. accept that the information is true. OR do I... consult a credible source to verify the author’s claims/facts.

3. A statement of fact can be proven by credible evidence. Personal opinion: Statement of belief or feeling. It shows one's feelings about a subject

4. Know Your Personal Biases Do I tend to look at things as either: “right/wrong” OR “good/bad” ?

5. Know Your Personal Biases Insecurity Fear Ignorance Peer/Family influence

6. How to Know a Reliable Site What type of website is it? Who is behind the website? Is the information supported with verifiable evidence?

7. What type of website? promoting an opinion or political agenda selling a service or product offering tips/advice blogs governmental scholarly article Wikipedia-type site

8. Top Level Domains Products, Services, Ideas, Agendas (.org,.com) Non-profits (.org,.edu) Scholarly/educational (.edu,.org) Popular press (.com,.org) Governmental (.gov,.mil) Personal (.com,.edu,.net)

9. Author: Who’s Behind the Website? Who pays for the site? Who maintains the site? Who writes the information?

10. Check to see if site provides an identifying link: “About Us” “Who We Are” “Mission Statement”

11. Definition: credentials: the education, work, or other experience that qualifies an individual to address a particular topic.

12. Do You Want Friend or an Expert?

14. Reliable site: an authoritative, balanced, and accurate source whose claims can be verified. Definition:

15. to verify: to determine the accuracy of a statement, fact, or statistic

16. Unsupported Statements Student’s claim: According to Ebreastaug.com, Americans spent $12 billion on cosmetic surgery (ebreastaub.com). Cited source :

17. Supported Statements Revised claim: “In 2005, Americans spent approximately $8 billion on surgeons’ fees for cosmetic medical treatments (ASAPS, 2006).” Cited source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank—2005 Statistics. New York, NY: ASAPS, 2006.

18. Supported Statements Student discovered statistical source in the following article: Sarwer, D. “Physical Appearance & Cosmetic Medical Treatments: Socio-Cultural Influences.” Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2 (2006): 29-39.

19. Verifying Sources Check credentials of author: Listedin library databases? Academic Search Elite

20. Reliability of Author: Credentials Is author the subject of internet chatter? Google the author’s name

21. How to Tell a Reliable Site What type of website is it? Who is behind the website? Is the information supported with verifiable evidence?

22. Sorting Personal Opinions from Factual Statements