1. HOW TO EVALUATE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET

2. How do we research effectively?

3.  Millions of hits per search  How do we know what information is good and what isn’t?  How do we tell the difference?

4. How do we know?

5.  Authority  Accuracy  Currency  Objectivity

6.  Doesn’t hide who is responsible for the information  Is clear about their qualifications for sharing the information  Reveals its sources

7.  Presents information that is reliable and free from error

8.  When the website was created  When the information was last revised

9.  Presents information with a minimum of bias  Presents information in a fair manner  Reveals its own biases (every website is biased)  This way, you can decide which website is useful for your research

10.  How_to_Evaluate_12 How_to_Evaluate_12

11. Let the professionals be your filter

12.  A website that:  requires a paid subscription in order to access information.  Contains information from published works such as articles from magazines or encyclopedias.  Searches for titles, authors, magazines, dates, etc.  Gives access to full-text articles that can be printed or e-mailed.  Selected by librarians to meet the needs of their library patrons.  Provides bibliographic information

13.  the information comes from professionals or experts in the field.  Contains published works where facts are checked.  Easy to cite in a bibliography and may create the citation for you  Helps you narrow down your topic or suggest related subjects.  Updated frequently and include the date of publication.  Available to anyone using a computer in a library that subscribes to databases or any library cardholder using a computer outside the library.

14.  Use Boolean Logic:  Broaden or narrow your search with operators.  Keep in mind that different search tools use different operators.  Many search engines assume that you're using the word AND between each word even if you don't enter it.  Explore the following chart for more ideas:

15.  AND, +, & (searchincludes both words)  OR, |  NOT, -  AND NOT, !  NEAR, ~  sand AND sculpture  ice OR sand AND sculpture  ice NOT sand AND sculpture  weed AND NOT marijuana  NEAR sculpture

16.  *  " “  use lowercase letters  title:, t:  url:, u:  sculpt*  "statue of liberty“  title: sand sculpture  u: eduscapes

17. A good resource does not hide its identity.

18. Be smart and think critically