Transcript Tips for Finding Reliable Sources on the Internet

Tips for Finding Reliable Sources
on the Internet
Look for certain urls when choosing sites.
• .edu, - most likely an educational institution. Be
aware of potential political bias.
• .gov, - most likely a reliable government web site.
Good sources for statistics and objective reports.
• .org - usually non-profit organizations. They can be
very good sources or very poor sources, take care to
research their possible agendas or political biases, if
they exist.
If the information is linked to an organization, try to
determine the reliability of the sponsoring organization.
Who is taking responsibility for the content?
– Look for information about the site’s author, be it
an individual or company.
– Look for links that say “About us,” “About the
Author”, “Who We Are,” etc.
– Check the links to make sure they work. An
“About Us” link that doesn’t work equals a red
flag.
– A site that lists an email address, but contains no
information about the author, is another red flag.
Stay away from Internet information
that doesn't list an author.
• What are the author’s credentials?
– Is this person and/or company qualified to write
the information?
– Is the site presented as educational, informational,
opinions, etc., site
• Look for indicators of quality information
– Are references documented with footnotes or links
to the original source?
– Check the links; do they work?
– Has the author used the content within context of
the original site
– Are the linked-to sites themselves reliable
resources?
Final thoughts…
• Check other resources, does the information
agree? Most facts can be checked using
multiple resources.
• Is the information current? Some websites
contain information that was valid at one time,
but is now outdated, making it irrelevant.
Dupe Detector:
A checklist to help surfers begin determining if information found on a website is true or not*
Website:
Trustworthy
Questionable
1.
Do large companies you know advertise on the site?
Yes □
No □
2.
Are there any ‘dead links’, or links to ‘moved pages’?
No □
Yes □
3.
Do the images support the stated facts?
Yes □
No □
4.
Is the site hosted by a credible provider and reside in a ‘trustworthy’ domain.
Yes □
No □
5.
Are there links and references to other websites, resources and experts that corroborate
this information?
Yes □
No □
6.
Is the resource available in another format?
Yes □
No □
7.
Do the site’s authors have other publications with credible sites and publishers?
Yes □
No □
8.
Are the site’s authors experts in the subject? (Do they have any credentials or experience
around the topic?)
Yes □
No □
9.
Is contact information provided and does the place/e-mail exist and work?
Yes □
No □
10.
Does the site present highly biased visuals (e.g. racist statements, derogatory remarks, and
emotional language)?
No □
Yes □
11.
Is the site professional (grammar and typing errors are not present or very minimal)?
Yes □
No □
Totals**: