Transcript Website Evaluation

Website Evaluation
Using the internet for research
American astrophysicist
People prefer reassurance to research
CABCAR
Content
Authority
Bias
Currency
Accuracy
Relevance
Content
Is the content reliable, accurate, and
documented?
What do others say about this site, sponsor, or
author?
Is it reasonable, fair, balanced, and concerned
with the truth?
Is it the appropriate coverage of the information
that you need?
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
Authority
Is the author an authority on your subject?
What are their credentials, affiliations,
sponsorships?
Are they credible?
Can you contact them?
*Google the author and see what you can
learn!
On what domain is the Internet address? .gov,
.mil, .edu, .com, .net, org
The Whitehouse
The Whitehouse
The Whitehouse
Look for credibility clues!
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When there is no author:
o Words and phrases to look for:About us, Who Am I, FAQ’s
E-mail
o If you have no information other than an e-mail link, write a polite
e-mail asking for more information.
Do a link check (or what do others think?)
o In Google type:link:http://martinlutherking.org/
o Your results will show other sites that have chosen to link to this
page. If respectable institutions have linked to the site that you
are using, it can provides a clue about the site’s credibility.
Beware of Hoax sites: Two sites on Cloning—
o Cloning
Cloning
Bias
Why was this information
written? (Remember the MLK site?)
What is the website's purpose?
Is it to inform, persuade
entertain, sell?
Currency
What is the date of this document?
When was it last updated?
Are many links broken?
Keep track of the date you access each
site for your bibliography.
Accuracy
How much information do you need?
Is the information accurate, factual, detailed,
exacting, and complete. (Wikipedia)
Is the subject treated with the appropriate amount
of depth and breadth for your purposes?
Consider using a subscription database such as
EBSCOhost from the Santa Cruz Public Library.
Relevance
How well does this support your academic
task?
Does this answer the question at hand?
Did you use the right keywords to get the right
results?
Try a Google Advanced Search
Fact Checkers
Politifact www.politifact.com
Media Matters http://mediamatters.org
Media Research Center www.mrc.org/
Snopes Obama
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp
Snopes Romney
http://www.snopes.com/politics/romney/romney.asp
Feeling frustated? Check with your
librarian for advice!
Just as you evaluate
your sources…
Your teacher will evaluate your work based on
the quality of the sources you select.
ASK YOURSELF: Is this site good enough to
cite?
Use KnightCite to help you create your Works
Cited or Bibliography.
Quality always counts!