Evaluating Web Sources
Apply Criteria to Judge if Online Information is Reliable
During this lesson this lesson, you will:
Searching the Web. It’s a JUNGLE!
Courtesy of DanceLilSister (Flickr) under CC license
Why is it like a jungle?
Jungles are:
Jungles are:
Bio-diverse: No limit to kind/quality of information.
Untamed:
Dense:
Confusing:
Dangerous:
Jungles are:
Bio-diverse: No limit to kind/quality of information.
Untamed: No consistent order to information.
Dense:
Confusing:
Dangerous:
Jungles are:
Bio-diverse: No limit to kind/quality of information.
Untamed: No consistent order to information.
Dense: Hard to see beyond your search results.
Confusing:
Dangerous:
Jungles are:
Bio-diverse: No limit to kind/quality of information.
Untamed: No consistent order to information.
Dense: Hard to see beyond your search results.
Confusing: No easy way to know if information is good.
Dangerous:
Jungles are:
Bio-diverse: No limit to kind/quality of information.
Untamed: No consistent order to information.
Dense: Hard to see beyond your search results.
Confusing: No easy way to know if information is good.
Dangerous: Bad information is bad for you!
Google Search
Amity Library
Find Online Stuff
by Subject Guide
Reading
Literacy Workshop
Evaluating Websites
Go to LibGuides Session Guide:
Look at the article in Step 2.
Why is this source reliable?
Think of 3 reasons.
Move on to individual practice
Who created it?
Is this person (or organization) a qualified, reputable, expert? Is she authoritative (reliable)?
Evaluating Web Sources
What is the information like?
Is it accurate, giving complete coverage, well-written, well-organized? Does it cite its sources? Are those sources reliable?
Evaluating Web Sources
Where is the information from?
Where is the site stored? Remember that just having a page stored in a university does not mean the university backs your information.
Evaluating Web Sources
Why was the information/site created?
Was the goal to present information objectively in a balanced way?Do the presenters have an identifiable political, ideological, or commercial goal that might slant their information?
Evaluating Web Sources
When was it created?
Is it current? (sometimes currency/recent is not important)
Evaluating Web Sources
Now you will try it on your own...
Evaluating Web Sources