Web sites:Web sites:
Reliability & Authenticity:
Issues & Resources
I. The problem: the Internet is
Relatively new & untested information and communication medium
Ubiquitous & pervasive in both authorship and audience
Unregulated and unregulatable
II. Examples of the problem:
New Hartford, MinnesotaNew Hartford, Minnesota
Feline Reactions to Bearded MenFeline Reactions to Bearded Men
Human rights in Tunisia websites:Human rights in Tunisia websites:• Amnesty International’sAmnesty International’s (http://www.amnesty.org/tunisia)http://www.amnesty.org/tunisia)• Tunisian government supporters’Tunisian government supporters’
(http://www.amnesty-tunisia.org/)http://www.amnesty-tunisia.org/)
III. 7 basic website purposes:
personal/vanity pages promotional for sales current or news sites informational (on a topic or hobby) persuasive as propaganda instructional registrational/data gathering
IV. Contexts of website evaluation:
Header
body
footer
navigation
V. Five evaluative guidelines:
Authority Currency Coverage Objectivity Accuracy
Authority
Who is responsible for the page?
What are their qualifications and associations, and can you verify them?
Authority
Check the footer for • name of the web page author • his/her credentials and title • organizational affiliation
Is the information verifiable?
Currency
Are dates clear when the website was first created and edited?
Currency
Check the footer for when • the website was created• when last edited
Check the content for • news items, • indications the site is actively maintained,• acknowledgements/responses to visitors
Coverage
What is the focus of the site?
Are there clear headings to illustrate an outline of the content? Is the navigation within the website clear?
Coverage
Check the header for a clear title and web site description
Check the content for headings and keywords
Check the navigation to verify it reflects the content outline within the web site
Objectivity
Are biases clearly stated?
Are affiliations clear?
ObjectivityCheck the content for • statement of purpose• type of web site and potential audience• outside links external to the website • graphics and cues for affiliations
Check the header/footer and URL/domain (.gov/.com/.edu) to determine organizational source of website and how this reflects on content type
Accuracy
Are sources of information and factual data listed, and available for cross-checking?
AccuracyCheck the content for • spelling and grammar• accuracy and consistency of facts
Check external web site rating services as Britannica, Cyberlinks, et al
AccuracyCompare content with
• website’s external links
• your independent research– on the Internet– bibliographic databases & electronic indexes (i..e ERIC)– books– print & on-line journals
VI. Bibliography
Webtruth
http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/webtruth