1. Sources: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly How to evaluate reliable Internet sources

2. If It’s on the Internet, It Must Be True, Right????  Unfortunately, anyone can upload anything to the web, whether it is true or not.  For example:  http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/ http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/  http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/ http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/

3. No Internet Police  Unlike with most books and journals, the Internet has no one to read and confirm or deny the posted information before it is published.  No one filters the information for accuracy.  What happens when anyone can post anything?

4. The Good from the Bad  When you are researching for a paper or you just Google something, it is easy to be fooled by websites that seem to be reliable.  Here are some examples:  New Hartford, Minnesota - Visit the city of New Hartford, Minnesota. New Hartford, Minnesota  Mankato, Minnesota - Visit Mankato, Minnesota. Mankato, Minnesota

5. Tricky!  The previous two web pages look real but New Hartford, Minnesota is not a real city, and the Mankato web page is a fake. Mankato, Minnesota is a real city, but this is not their web site.  The real Mankato, Minnesota's web site is at http://www.ci.mankato.mn.us/ http://www.ci.mankato.mn.us/

6. The Really Bad  The World Trade Organization web site at http://www.gatt.org/ is a counterfeit. The actual World Trade Organization site is at http://www.wto.org/. http://www.gatt.org/http://www.wto.org/  The Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division at http://www.dhmo.org/ provides a lot of information about this essential chemical. Or does it? Can you figure this one out? http://www.dhmo.org/

7. The Ugly  Some internet sites look like they have good information but are really designed to fool you. The site about Martin Luther King, Jr. at http://www.martinlutherking.org/ looks real but it is run by a neo-Nazi organization and is filled will fake facts, misleading information, and racist content.http://www.martinlutherking.org/  The Stanford University's Martin Luther King, Jr. site at http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/ is a trustworthy web site for information. http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/

8. Be Careful! Even really smart people (doctors and college professors), can be fooled by sources that seem real, but are not. Rule of 3

9. So, How Do We Find Good Sources?  Look for the following to evaluate your sources:  Author  Organization  Bias  Current  Works Cited/Bibliography  Audience  Looks  Domain Names

10. Evaluation Criteria: Author  Who is the author or publisher?  How much experience does the author have in this area?  Author’s occupation?  Author’s educational background?  No author? Check out the company or organization.  Is there contact information?

11. Evaluation Criteria: Organization  Is the page easy to read?  Is the site easy to navigate?  Is there a Site Search box?  Are the graphics helpful or distracting?  Are there spelling or grammar errors?

12. Evaluation Criteria: Bias  What is Bias?  What is the purpose of the site?  Inform you? Persuade you? Sell you something?  Indicators of bias?  Author’s point of view  Trying to sell you a product  Full of opinions – trying to persuade  Extreme language  Appeal to emotions Appeal to emotions

13. Evaluation Criteria: Current  When was the page published or last updated?  Is it being updated to reflect new trends or current news?  If a few years old, is it still adequate for your research?  Are the links still active?

14. Evaluation Criteria: Miscellaneous  Works Cited/Bibliography  Audience  Adults? Students? Toddlers? Rocket Scientists?  Looks  Flashy? Plain?  Domain Names .com (commercial) .org (organization – non-profit) .edu (educational) .net (network)

15. What Criteria are Covered on This Site?  www.wiu.edu www.wiu.edu

16. Wikipedia/Ask.com  Issues with Wikipedia:  There is often no way to know who is editing the entries in Wikipedia.  What are their credentials/experience on the subject?  You cannot be sure that the content is “permanent”  Issues with Ask.com:  Further research is needed for most questions  There is no way to know who is answering your question  What are their credentials/experience on the subject?  Also, be careful using sites with a lot of advertising/pop- ups

17. Using Search Engines (Google, Yahoo, Etc.)  Every word matters.  All the words you put in the search box will be used.  “What is a verb?” will search for “what” “is” “a” “verb”  Keep it simple; describe what you need with as few terms as possible.  “In what country are bats considered an omen of good luck?” – TOO MUCH!  Try – “bats good luck”  Choose descriptive words.  “Celebrity sounds” – TOO VAGUE  Try – “celebrity ringtones”  Be prepared to describe your subject in many different ways.  Weather (what kind?)  Tornado  Twister  Winds  Storms  Kansas

18. The Bottom Line  Really think about the source you are about to use before you use it!  Remember the Rule of 3!

19. Sites on Citing (get it?)  The Owl at Perdue The Owl at Perdue  Education Place Education Place  Montgomery College Montgomery College  Sample Bibliography/Works Cited Sample Bibliography/Works Cited

20. Bibliography (where I found my information for this presentation)  http://resources.metapress.com/pdf- preview.axd?code=123m73315vv37804&size=largest http://resources.metapress.com/pdf- preview.axd?code=123m73315vv37804&size=largest  http://taft.cr.k12.ia.us/departments/weblinks/bermuda.h tml http://taft.cr.k12.ia.us/departments/weblinks/bermuda.h tml  http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm  http://www.physics.nyu.edu/sokal/lingua_franca_v4/ling ua_franca_v4.html http://www.physics.nyu.edu/sokal/lingua_franca_v4/ling ua_franca_v4.html  http://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/tutorial/dpl3222.html http://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/tutorial/dpl3222.html