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Research 2013
Identifying High-Quality Sites
When can you trust what you find on the Internet?
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to….
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Understand how the ease of publishing on the
Internet might affect how much they can trust
the content of some sites.
Learn criteria that will help them evaluate
websites.
Apply the criteria to a site to determine how
trustworthy and useful it is.
Key Vocabulary
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Publish: to present a finished piece of
work to the public
Trustworthy: accurate and dependable
Evaluate: to carefully examine
something to figure out its value
Criteria: standards on which you base a
judgment or decision
Hurricane Sandy
Soldiers Guard the Tomb of Unknowns
During Hurricane Sandy – Oct. 2012
Actually taken – Sept. 2012
Remember!
Anyone can publish
anything
on the Web!
It is your job, as a researcher,
to look for quality!
Online Resources vs. Print Media
BOOKS/TEXT
INTERNET
•Anyone can publish a Web page
•No one checks to see if the
information is true or false
•There are millions of places to
look for information
•Using the Internet is much
quicker
•You can narrow down what
you’re looking for more easily
•The Internet uses search
engines
Both provide
sources
of information
Both are
viewed by
millions of
people each
day
•A book has to be
published by a publishing
company
•Editors check and verify
the information
•Looking for a book can be
more time consuming
•You have to visit a library
•The library uses the
Dewey Decimal System
Test Before You Trust
Website Test
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Purpose of the Site
Trustworthiness of the Author
Usefulness of Information
Up-to-Date Information
Ease of Use
Purpose of the Site
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Can you tell if the site is fact or opinion?
Is the site free advertising?
If there are ads, is it easy to tell the
difference between ads and content?
Is the site sponsored by any
organizations?
Is it clear who the site is for?
Purpose of the Site
Continued….
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Is the tone calm and fair?
Is the site open to everyone?
Is the site’s domain .edu, .net, .org, or
.gov? (If you see a ~ in the URL, it may
be a personal site, not an offical site.)
Trustworthiness of the Author
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Is the author identified by name?
Is the place the author works or the
organization he/she belongs to given?
Is the author’s biography provided, and
does he/she have credentials related to
the subject of the site?
Has the author or site received any
respected awards
Trustworthiness of the Author
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Was this site recommended by a site you
trust?
Are sources given for statistics?
Can the author be contacted if you have
questions? (by email, street address, or
phone number)
Is the site free of spelling, typographical,
and grammatical errors?
Usefulness of Information
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Does the site have enough information for your
research?
Is most of the information on the site useful for
your research?
Can you find the date the article, page, or site
was created?
Can you find the date it was last revised?
Do all the links lead to active pages?
Ease of Use
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Can you understand the text?
Is the type easy to see?
Do the titles and headings give a clear
idea of the content?
Are there photos, maps, charts, or other
illustrations that help you understand the
information?
Ease of Use
Continued….
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Is there a site map?
Is there a tool for searching the site?
Is there a “what’s new” feature?
Are the links labeled clearly?
Do pages load quickly?
So, why should we care about
all of this?
Just as you evaluate
your sources . . .
Your teacher will evaluate your work based
on the quality of the sources you select.
Evaluate carefully. Don’t settle for good
enough!
Quality always counts!
If you need help:
[email protected]
Include your name and your
teacher’s name.
Questions?
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to….
1.
2.
3.
Understand how the ease of publishing on the
Internet might affect how much they can trust
the content of some sites.
Learn criteria that will help them evaluate
websites.
Apply the criteria to a site to determine how
trustworthy and useful it is.