Transcript Website Evaluation

Mrs. Hughes
Library Media Specialist
Why You Need to Evaluate?
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Unlike traditional print resources, web resources rarely have editors
or academic reviewers.
No standards exist to ensure accuracy on the World Wide Web.
There are guidelines for creating quality websites. However, not
everyone is aware of the guidelines, and no one has to follow
them.
THEREFORE; it is your job as a researcher to look for quality and to
decipher the good from the bad from the ugly.
We use information to make important decisions!
• Which car should I buy?
• Should I take this medication?
• How should I invest my money?
You want to ensure that the information you choose is reliable,
credible, current, balanced, relevant, and accurate!
About the Tutorial
• This tutorial works best with Mozilla Firefox.
• Go to http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ for a free
download.
• You will be asked if you want to make Firefox your default browser.
Click “Yes.” You can always change back to Internet Explorer after
completion of the assignment.
The Basics of Website Evaluation
This tutorial will teach you how to evaluate Websites using the
following criteria:
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Author: who wrote the page/site
Scholarship: identifying scholarly, academic, educated material
Audience: who the information intended for
Bias: point of view or prejudice
Currency: copyright date or date of posting
Real Websites
In this tutorial you will evaluate real websites. These sites are linked
throughout the PowerPoint. When you click on the link, you will leave the
PowerPoint and go the site. Once you are in the website, click on different
pages to find the information you need. After you have found the
information and made your evaluation, return back to the PowerPoint.
Hint: Focus on the specific information you need to locate. Spending
too much time browsing the sites will slow you down; you can browse later.
It should only take two to five minutes to evaluate a site, and evaluations
will become faster and easier the more you do them.
• Sometimes it’s very hard to tell treasure from trash
• The information that you need to locate may be in one place on
one site and in a different place on another website
• Sometimes web developers don’t want you to understand
What you want to see:
• The author’s profession, education, titles, affiliations, etc.
• The author’s academic credentials (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate
degree) in the subject area that they are writing about
The clues are in the URL.
• URL means uniform resource locator; it is another way of saying
Internet address or link.
• If it is someone’s personal site: the URL might have the following
symbols: tilde (~), percentage sign (%), the words “users” or
“members” or “personal”, or a personal name
• it might be hosted by a free server like AOL, Tripod, Geocities,
Comcast, etc.
Examples:
• http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/circul.html
o university professor’s writing; a good site
• http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carson/shoe/DEV.HTM
o university professor’s writing; a good site
• http://logicmgmt.com/1876/splash.htm
o Logic Mgmt is a web service provider; anyone can buy web
space from them and create their own site
o The author’s credentials are not posted anywhere on the site
Information about the author can be located in many places:
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“About”
“FAQs”
“Home”
“Company Information”
“Profiles”
“Our Staff”
“Credits”
“Disclaimer”
RED FLAG! It is a bad sign if you can’t find any information about
the author after clicking on all of those pages. You should either find a
different Website, or you should email the author and politely ask for
more information.
1. Click on Rome: Republic to the Empire (you will leave the
PowerPoint and go to the site).
2. Find out who the author is, and what her credentials are.
3. Return back to the PowerPoint.
Would you use this site based on the author’s credentials?
YES
NO
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The author is clearly identified
She is a teacher at a college
The author is Barbara F. McManus, Professor of Classics emerita, The
College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY.
McManus’s name is linked to page that provides more information about
her such books she has written, her current research project, Web projects,
presentations, courses she teaches, and much more.
Her academic credentials make this a reliable source.
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The author is clearly identified
She is a teacher at a college The author is Barbara F. McManus, Professor
of Classics emerita, The College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY.
McManus’s name is linked to page that provides more information
about her such books she has written, her current research project, Web
projects, presentations, courses she teaches, and much more.
Her academic credentials make this a reliable source.
1. Click on SPQR on Think Quest (remember, you will leave the
PowerPoint and go to the website).
2. Find out who the authors are, and find their academic credentials.
3. Return to the PowerPoint.
Would you use this site based on the credentials of the authors?
YES
No
The “About this Site” page states only that the authors are students
from a magnet school. Think Quest sites are written by elementary,
middle, and high school students for other elementary, middle, and
high school students.
The “About this Site” page states only that the authors are students
from a magnet school. Think Quest sites are written by elementary,
middle, and high school students for other elementary, middle, and
high school students.
What to look for:
• the writing is supported with cited references
• the cited references are from reputable sources
• the information is consistent with what you know
• the information is consistent with what you have read in other
sources
• the page/site has been edited for spelling and grammar
Does Rome: Republic to the Empire have the appropriate
hallmarks of scholarship?
YES
No
There is a bibliography of credible sources. The information provided
in the site is correct, and it has been edited for spelling and grammar.
There is a bibliography of credible sources. The information provided
in the site is correct, and it has been edited for spelling and grammar.
Does SPQR on Think Quest have the appropriate
hallmarks of scholarship?
YES
No
On the “Et. Al.” page there is a bibliography of credible sources. The
site seems to be error free and correctly edited for spelling and
grammar.
On the “Et. Al.” page there is a bibliography of credible sources. The
site seems to be error free and correctly edited for spelling and
grammar.
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Is the webpage or website you are viewing written for teenagers,
legislators, young children, technicians, parents, etc.?
Does the web page or website contain technical jargon or
terminology meant for a particular group such as librarians,
computer programmers, doctors, etc?
Does the webpage use slang?
You may have to check several places.
• “Home”
• “About”
• “FAQ”
• “Mission”
Who was Rome: Republic to Empire written for?
Anyone interested Ancient Rome
Students in McManus’ Class
Although anyone interested in Ancient Rome may find this site helpful,
this site was written for students taking Barbara F. McManus’ Ancient
Rome in Film, Fiction, and Fact class.
Although anyone interested in Ancient Rome may find this site helpful,
this site was written for students taking Barbara F. McManus’ Ancient
Rome in Film, Fiction, and Fact class.
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Who is SPQR on Think Quest written for?
Anyone interested in Ancient Rome
Students 19 and under
The “FAQ” page states that Think Quest sites are written by
elementary, middle, and high school students for other elementary,
middle, and high school students.
The “FAQ” page states that Think Quest sites are written by
elementary, middle, and high school students for other elementary,
middle, and high school students.
Ask these questions:
• Is the site sponsored by a company that wants to sell you something?
• Is the site owned/sponsored an organization looking to present their
point-of-view on an issue?
Can you find any evidence of bias on the page “Does Animal
Experimentation Save Lives?”
YES
No
PETA believes that if it is wrong to experiment on humans, then it is
wrong to experiment on animals.
“There are some medical problems that can probably only be cured by
testing on unwilling people, but we don’t do it because we recognize
that it would be wrong. We need to extend this same concern to other
living, feeling beings, regardless of what species they may be.”
PETA believes that if it is wrong to experiment on humans, then it is
wrong to experiment on animals.
“There are some medical problems that can probably only be cured by
testing on unwilling people, but we don’t do it because we recognize
that it would be wrong. We need to extend this same concern to other
living, feeling beings, regardless of what species they may be.”
Can you find any evidence of bias on the page “Animal Test Research
Saves Many Lives”
YES
No
The title says it all, “Animal-Test Research Saves Lives.” If you need
more proof, just read the first sentence: “Animal research has played a
vital role in virtually every major medical advance of the last century - for both human and animal health.”
The title says it all, “Animal-Test Research Saves Lives.” If you need
more proof, just read the first sentence: “Animal research has played a
vital role in virtually every major medical advance of the last century - for both human and animal health.”
• As with all information sources, it is important to look at how long ago the
information was written.
• Keep these questions in mind:
• When was the page written?
• When was the page last updated?
• When was the page mounted/posted?
• Is the content of the work current or up-to-date?
• Do the links take you to older or newer information?
• Are the links working? If there are “broken” links, then the site is not
being maintained. That may be a sign of an out-of-date site.
• Currency is very important in the fields of science and technology. Just
think about all the changes and updates there have been with iPods, iPads,
social networking, gaming, etc.
• If you are using medical information that is ten years old, then you are
missing out on ten years of research, discoveries, and new treatments.
• How about researching a present-day social issue? How current should
your information be? A good rule-of-thumb is within five years.
• History is a little different. If you are researching ancient civilizations or
shoe styles in the 1800s, currency is not as vital. However, there are always
new perspectives on the facts and new discoveries that change what we
know. A good rule of thumb for history is twenty years.
When was “A Look Back at Old-Time Medicine” posted? Is the medical
information in this article too old?
YES
No
It is extremely important for medical information to be current and upto-date. However, this article is about the history of medicine, so it is
okay to use.
It is extremely important for medical information to be current and up-todate. However, this article is about the history of medicine, so it is okay to
use.
If you were researching the Salem witch trials, would you use this
information on the “The Salem Witch Trials, 1692” page?
YES
No
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The date of publication is posted at the bottom of the page.
It was published/posted in 2000.
The Salem witch trials is seventeenth century history, and currency is
not as vital when researching history.
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The date of publication is posted at the bottom of the page.
It was published/posted in 2000.
The Salem witch trials is seventeenth century history, and currency
is not as vital when researching history.
The basics of website evaluation are:
• Author: who wrote the page/site
• Audience: who the information intended for
• Scholarship: identifying scholarly, academic, educated material
• Bias: point-of-view or prejudice
• Currency: copyright date or date of posting
There are a few other clues an tools to use for evaluating websites.
They include checking for working links, links checks, and domains.
Important questions to ask:
• Are links in the web page taking you to "Not Found" pages? If so,
that means the creator of the site is no longer maintaining it.
• Do the links bring you to advertisements? Advertisements can be
very distracting. Sometimes it can be difficult to navigate through a
site because of pop-up advertising.
• What kind of links did the author choose? Popular, scholarly,
reputable?
Vetted Website Portals
“Vetted” refers to something that has undergone careful examination and scrutiny.
Searching within a vetted portal is not the same as searching with Google. The
websites you find with Google include the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is up to
you figure out which is which because there is no vetting process. A vetted website
portal, however, includes only those sites that have been carefully examined and
selected by teachers, librarians, and other professionals. If your site appears in one of
the vetted portals provided below, they it is a good site.
• Sweet Search @ http://www.sweetsearch.com/
• Internet Public Library @ http://www.ipl.org/
• Infomine: Scholarly Internet Resource Collection @ http://infomine.ucr.edu/
• Internet Scout Project @ http://scout.wisc.edu/index.php
HINT: Begin your search here. Let these portals help you do the work!
Smoking From All Sides: Commentary provides links to other sites
about smoking.
1. What do you think about the sites being linked? Do they seem
reputable?
2. Are all of the links working, or do they take you to a page or site
that no longer exists?
3. Is this site listed in one of the vetted portals?
Would you use Smoking From All Sides to find websites that have
information about smoking?
YES
No
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Some of the links are to credible, reliable resources.
Some of the links are to sites that are NOT credible, reliable, or
scholarly.
• Some of the links are broken. This is usually an indication that the
site is no longer being maintained.
• This site is not in a vetted portal.
More issues: We do not know who the creator of this site is.
Bottom line: because so many links are to sites that are not reliable for
scholarly work, this is not a good bibliography of Web resources.
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Some of the links are to credible, reliable resources.
Some of the links are to sites that are NOT credible, reliable, or
scholarly.
• Some of the links are broken. This is usually an indication that the
site is no longer being maintained.
• This site is not listed in a vetted portal.
More issues: We do not know who the creator of this site is.
Bottom line: because so many links are to sites that are not reliable for
scholarly work, this is not a good bibliography of Web resources.
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If you can’t locate the “Home,” “About,” “FAQs,” “Company Information,”
“Profiles,” “Our Staff,” “Credits,” “Disclaimer,” etc., try truncating the URL.
Truncate the URL by deleting characters in the address line up to the next
slash mark.
For example:
http://www.history.org/history/clothing/women/index.cfm
http://www.history.org/history/clothing/women/
http://www.history.org/history/clothing/
http://www.history.org/history/
http://www.history.org/
Click on the links below to learn more about domains (for
example, .edu or .gov) to learn how they are important
clues to Website evaluation.
What do Domain Extensions Mean
People reading your work will examine what sources you used. They will
review your works cited. So…
• Evaluate carefully.
• Don’t settle for good enough!
• Quality always counts!
Considering each group of websites, one, two, all, or none for research?
Coca-Cola Advertising 1
Coca-Cola Advertising 2
Michigan 1
Michigan 2
Diet Pills 1
Diet Pills 2
Diet Pills 3
Does Modern Music negatively Influence Children 1
Does Modern Music negatively Influence Children 2
Does Modern Music negatively Influence Children 3
Hint: check out the “Disclaimer” page
Victorian England 1
Victorian England 2
Pizza is a Vegetable 1
Pizza is a Vegetable 2
Hospital 1
Hospital 2
Guns 1
Guns 2
Views of Jupiter 1
Views of Jupiter 2
Animals 1
Animals 2
Animals 3
Click here for more practice
Castles
History of American Fashion
Lip Balm
Extreme Eating
The Biology Project
Hatchoo
Confectionary Timeline
Furnetics
LASIK
California’s Velcro Crop Under Challenge
Facts about Series
Lemon Drops
Improbable Research
Fashion History
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division