WEBSITE EVALUATION

Eng 216A Research and InfInformation Literacy

Professor Susan Acampora

As A General Rule:

•Before you decide to use ANY source remember :

•Examine all types of research–articles, books, and Web sites  

•Not all information is appropriate for

college level work 

• Is it popular/scholarly/informal information?

IMPORTANT!!!

•The strength of your research depends upon the legitimacy of your sources!!!!

•If your sources are weak, your argument won’t hold.

•You can actually destroy your own point with bad back-up sources

Tips for Evaluating Articles

•Use Library databases like Ebscohost’s Academic Search Complete or Gale’s One Search or CREDO

Limit your searches to scholarly articles and peer reviewed articles

Be sure your article has a works cited or reference page verifying their sources

Tips for Evaluating Books

•Who is the author?•What is his/her education and experience?•Who is the publisher?•Has the book been reviewed by a reliable

source?Remember you can always search for book reviews in Academic Search Complete

A recent book by author, Charles Seife exposes Internet hoaxes.

•NEW BOOK

Just Because the Internet Told you so, How Do You Know It’s True?

AND…Why should we consider Charles Seife’s Opinion?

For Example:•Experts in the field have reviewed his

book•Peer reviews provide praise and critique,

a fair starting ground.

Library resources are the best starting place.But of course you will also use the WEB…We all do!

Be sure toApply Your Greatest Discernment to what you find on The INTERNET

The Joys of the Internet Age

•Free Information•Fast and Easy •Communities that share ideas•International/Global perspectives•Everyone has a voice•A Wealth of information available

On the other hand:

Dangers•Information Overload – How to sort

through it?•Whom do you trust? •True or Hoax?•Plagiarism???? ( If your paper requires a

Works Cited page, shouldn’t sources be listed on the net?)

•Bias – What’s the slant? What do they want you to believe?

•What if the information is wrong?

Take particular care when searching THE INTERNET

*Anyone can publish on the Web and rarely do they cite their sources. How do you know they are who they say they are???

*Few sites are subject to editing or peer review

*What do companies do with your personal information or searching habits? Some sites push information they think you are interested in based on your past searches – How can you break out of that loop?

Be Discerning on the InternetYou will find scholarly information along with Uncle Joe’s opinions and Cousin Sally’s case study on a miracle cures, and the latest product ABC Company’s is pushing!

http://daveishome.blogspot.com/2014/03/finding-reliable-information-on-internet.html

Google▫Excellent and sophisticated search engine▫Digs deep into the web to find information

from all types of web domains (com, net, org, gov)

▫Delivers wide range of results very fast▫And delivers a huge amount of results

Google is a good starting point

•A place to get ideas•A place to get search terms you can use in

other databases•A place to get an overview of a topic

•IT IS OKAY TO START WITH GOOGLE BUT ALWAYS CHECK MORE SCHOLARLY SOURCES

Google does not:• Provide free access to academic subscription

databases – Your college library does.

• Promise authenticity

• Apply evaluation criteria for you

• But does not organize results▫Up to you to sort through it all ▫You must discern what information is valid, ▫And what is not.

So again: Use it sparingly to get started. To get ideas.

To get oriented.

Google is savvy enough to realize this!

And Try Google Scholar

•Google Scholar combines Google search technology to include Gill Library’s holdings and will bring results that are academically oriented.

Try Google Scholar

•From the Library Homepage

https://libezcnr.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://scholar.google.com

Wikipedia!? Wiki = Hawaiian for QuickPedia = taken from encyclopedia

• Wikipedia is collaborative community portal• multilingual, • free-content encyclopedia • Writers are Internet volunteers • Anyone with Internet access can write and make

changes to Wikipedia articles• Users can contribute anonymously, under a

pseudonym, or, if they choose to, with their real identity.

• Wikipedia's articles provide links designed to guide the user to related pages with additional information.

Wikipedia is a good place to start but not to finish.•Most Wikipedians take their task seriously

and do a good job at reviewing and editing.•There is a built-in system of reviewing but

no consistency.•BUT THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF

ACCURACY!!!! •Always look at the references at the end of

each article in Wikipedia •Are they reliable?•Check other sources for verification. Don’t

just use Wikipedia!

So How Do We Become Discerning Searchers??? How to EVALUATE:

AUTHORSHIP and AUTHORITY•Who published the document? •What are the author’s credentials? •Are they associated with a trustworthy

institution? Or is it a personal site?•Know the difference between an author

and a webmaster.

BIAS??? Perspective?? Audience??

•What are the goals and objectives of the author? 

•Are the author’s opinions objective or partial?

•Are both sides of a question examined •Or does the author present only that

which supports his/her point of view? •If the information is from a Web site, are

there links to other sites with different points of view?

Tips about Bias??•Does the information sound like an

advertisement?

•Does the author use words that evoke emotions or prejudiced views?  What is his/her writing style?

•Was the information written ONLY for a specific target audience?

• Is the information fact or opinion?

Currency:

•If the information is from a Web site, when was the last time it was updated?  Are there “dead” links?

•Is there more current information available elsewhere?

Tips on Currency:

•There are fields of study that require very current information (sciences), but there are other areas where it may not be so important (history, philosophy)

•Is the information dated? Is it classic?

Documentation:

•Who wrote it and can you contact him/her?

•What sources did the author of the web site use to support their position?

•Does the author provide related links and sources?

•Does the author consider opposing viewpoints?

CHECK SNOPES.org•http://www.snopes.com

What is SNOPES?• Founded by Barbara and David Mikkelson

from Los Angeles, CA.• Share a common interest in debunking urban

legends• Together developed Snopes.com• A regular site on "Best of the Web" lists• Won two Webby Awards• Dedicated to researching and exposing hoaxes• They have made mistakes too but earnestly

attempt to seek the truth.• A fun and helpful site

DHMO http://www.dhmo.org/

• This site claims that Dihydrogen Monoxide is a dangerous substance that should be banned because:

Dihydrogen monoxide is • A colorless, odorless, tasteless, substance that kills

uncounted thousands of people every year through accidental inhalation.

• Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage.

• Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance.

Complete Lab Assignment