Got Credibility? Evaluating Online Resources.
The wealth of information available on the Internet makes evaluating the credibility of online resources a crucial life skill. Learning how to differentiate a reliable resource from an unreliable one takes some practice. Use the checklist below to evaluate a resource's credibility.
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Name *
Class Name *
Email *
What number resource is this? *
Is this the first, second, third, etc. resource you are evaluating? Note: academic must evaluate 3 resources and honors must evaluate 5.
What topic are you researching? *
Site URL *
Does this online resource have an author? *
Required
Does the author have credibility in the field he/she is providing information about? *
Author's qualifications *
Is the author associated with an institution, organization, or company? *
If the author is associated with an institution, organization or company, does this add to or take away from his/her credibility?
Explain how you think this association might add to or take away from this person's credibility.
Is there any bias present in this resource? *
Reminder: Bias = "a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice."
If you answered "yes" that there was a bias present, does that take away from his/her credibility?
Explain your answer. Remember that a bias does not necessarily mean an author is unbiased, but it is important to identify and evaluate bias.
Is the information current? *
Is it important for this information to be current? Why or why not? *
If there are links to other sources, do they work?
Clear selection
Are there misspellings or grammatical errors?
Note: If it is hard for you to identify these kinds of errors, copy a section of text and paste it onto a word document to see if any errors are present. You can use the spell-check and grammar-check tools on your word doc.
Clear selection
Does this resource have a works cited or list of references that are credible? *
Cross-reference *
Note: "Cross-referencing is usually employed to either verify claims made by an author or to link to another piece of work that is of related interest."
Overall Evaluation *
Review your answers to the questions above. Given what you have found out about this reference, do you think it is reliable? Explain
MLA Citation *
See your handout with MLA citation information or visit Owl Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
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