Transcript Not All Web Pages Are Created Equally.

Not All Web Pages Are
Created Equally.
Why Do We Need to
Evaluate Sites
Can you tell which is the "real" site?
This one: WhiteHouse.gov or this
one? WhiteHouse.net or this one? WhiteHouse.org
or this one?
This one: FBI.org or this one? FBI.gov
Another Good Reason to
Evaluate
What To Consider
 Authority
 Sponsor
 Currency
 Purpose
 Audience
Authority
• Is there an author? Is the author qualified? An expert?
If not look for these clues:
 Look for a header or footer showing affiliation.
 Look at the URL. http://www.fbi.gov
 Look at the domain. .edu, .com, .ac.uk, .org, .net
 Remember:
Anyone can publish anything on the web.
WikiWebs, such as: Wikipedia
Use our subscription database:
ed1stop for Grolier’s Encyclopedia
Username:
soquel_stu
Password:
student
Sponsor
 Is there a sponsoring institution such as a company,
government agency, university?
 Remember:
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A sponsor may show bias.
Information on the web page may be presented differently
depending on the institution that is sponsoring the page.
Who sponsors this page?
http://www.martinlutherking.org/
And now a word from
our sponsor…
Currency

Is the page dated?
If so, when was the last update?
How current are the links? Have some
expired or moved?
 Remember:
If current information is needed it is important to find out when
a web page was last updated.
Purpose
 What appears to be the purpose for this
information?
 to inform?
 To explain?
 To persuade?
 To advertise or sell?
Intended Audience
 Who is the intended audience?
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School children?
Teens?
Adults?
Volleyball players?
People interested in buying a computer?
Questions to ask
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Who wrote the page?
When was it written?
Why was it written?
Is is biased?
Is the author an expert?
 Is the page easy to use?
 Is the page free from
HTML errors?
 Are the graphics
useful?
 Can you verify the
information?
 Is the bibliography
included?
It’s okay to be confused!
 There are billions of websites out there
 Many of them are not worthy of your time and
don’t belong in your bibliographies!
 Sometimes it’s very hard to tell treasure
from trash
 Sometimes Web developers don’t want you to
understand the difference
Look for credibility clues!
 When there is no author:
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Words and phrases to look for:
About us, Who Am I, FAQ’s
 E-mail
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If you have no information other than an e-mail link, write a polite email asking for more information.
Do a link check (or what do other think?)
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In Google or AltaVista type:
link:https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
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Your results will show which other sites have chosen to link to this
page. If respectable institutions have linked to a site, that provides a
clue about the site’s credibility.
Truncate the URL
Go from:
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/cha
ucer/smith.htm
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/cha
ucer
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages
· http://www.statecollege.edu/history
· http://www.statecollege.edu/
URLs as clues to content
 .com=commercial sites (vary
in their credibility)
 .gov=U.S. government site
 .org=organization, often nonprofit. Some have strong bias
and agendas
 .edu=school or university site
(is it K-12? By a student? By
a scholar?)
 .store=retail business
 .int=international institution
 .ac=educational institution
(like .edu)
 .mil=U.S. military site
 .net=networked service
provider, Internet
administrative site
 .museum=museum
 .name=individual Internet
user
 .biz=a business
 .pro=professional’s site
 ~=personal site
Compare two sites
 Which of these would be better to use for a
research paper on CLONING?
 http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Huma
n_Genome/home.shtml
 http://www.genochoice.com/
Remember, the free Web is not
your only choice?
 Did you use print sources?
 Did you search subscription databases?
 Did you check with your teacher-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!
There are bigger questions in life!
You will be using information to
make important decisions!
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Which car should I buy?
Which doctor should I choose?
Should my child have this surgery?
Should I take this medication?
 You want to be able to ensure the information you
choose is reliable, credible, current, balanced,
relevant, and accurate!
Hoax Sites – Don’t Be Fooled
 Golden Gate Tunnel
 The True but Little Known Facts about
Women and Aids, with documentation
 National Geographic Article Trick Photos
 Martin Luther King, Jr.
 HOAX SITES ARE FUN
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
Applying This Knowledge When Using the Web as a
Research Tool
B