Evaluating Web Resources—FS 101, section 17

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Evaluating Web Resources—FS 101 : The End of the World

Evaluating Web Resources

Why do you need to evaluate information from the web?

A famous cartoon from the New Yorker has a dog typing at a work station, saying to another dog, "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." In other words, anyone who has access to a browser can create searchable web pages for you to find. Contrast this with going to a bookstore or a library, where you are in a filtered collection of information. Publishers, editors, book reviewers, librarians, and bookstore managers all have different criteria for choosing what gets on the shelf. There are no such filters for the web. The internet is a wealth of information—some high quality and some poor quality. Some of the poor quality results from people making errors, passing on unverified stories, or deliberately misleading you or lying about topics. For example, a web site on the health risks of tobacco smoking maintained by RJR Nabisco might be suspect. A web site on Al Gore for president created and maintained by a Republican group would have a definite bias.

The evaluation process

Once you find what appears to be information relevant to your topic, you must take the time to evaluate it. Evaluating Resources: A Brief Guide discusses the evaluation process and contains links to other web sites that address the issue.

One of the problems with using information from the web is determining its validity as a resource. To evaluate internet sources it is important to examine issues such as authority, currency, and intended audience.

What do we mean by authority?
- Who is the person or organization responsible for the web site?
- What are their credentials?
- What might their biases be?
- How can you verify their credentials?
What do we mean by currency?
- How often is the page updated by its creator?
- If there are statistics, who collected them and when?
- Has this site been revised?
What do we mean by intended audience?
- Why did the author put this information on the web?
- Is the information directed at a specific audience?
- Is it intended to inform, sell, persuade, explain...

Using the criteria we cover in class as guides, we'll evaluate these sites and make decisions about their authority, accuracy, and suitability as reference sources.

Bonus site:
Junkscience.com

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Evaluating Web Resources—FS 101 : The End of the World
Evaluating Web Resources	Searching the Web	Links and More Information	Citing Sources
Why do you need to evaluate information from the web? A famous cartoon from the New Yorker has a dog typing at a work station, saying to another dog, "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." In other words, anyone who has access to a browser can create searchable web pages for you to find. Contrast this with going to a bookstore or a library, where you are in a filtered collection of information. Publishers, editors, book reviewers, librarians, and bookstore managers all have different criteria for choosing what gets on the shelf. There are no such filters for the web. The internet is a wealth of information—some high quality and some poor quality. Some of the poor quality results from people making errors, passing on unverified stories, or deliberately misleading you or lying about topics. For example, a web site on the health risks of tobacco smoking maintained by RJR Nabisco might be suspect. A web site on Al Gore for president created and maintained by a Republican group would have a definite bias. The evaluation process Once you find what appears to be information relevant to your topic, you must take the time to evaluate it. Evaluating Resources: A Brief Guide discusses the evaluation process and contains links to other web sites that address the issue. One of the problems with using information from the web is determining its validity as a resource. To evaluate internet sources it is important to examine issues such as authority, currency, and intended audience. What do we mean by authority? Who is the person or organization responsible for the web site? What are their credentials? What might their biases be? How can you verify their credentials? What do we mean by currency? How often is the page updated by its creator? If there are statistics, who collected them and when? Has this site been revised? What do we mean by intended audience? Why did the author put this information on the web? Is the information directed at a specific audience? Is it intended to inform, sell, persuade, explain... Using the criteria we cover in class as guides, we'll evaluate these sites and make decisions about their authority, accuracy, and suitability as reference sources. Insects as Food - Insect Recipes Feline Reactions to Bearded Men BeefNutrition.org Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division The Agony and the Ecstasy Summary Mankato, MN Home Page Bonus site: Junkscience.com