Trash or Treasure?

How to evaluate (and cite) Internet resources

The 5 pieces of information we need to cite a website.

• Publisher• Publication date• Author•Website Title•Webpage Title

Why are you using the Internet?• Quick info for general knowledge?• Background info before starting your real

research?• Research for academic purposes?

Research requires reliable and credible sources

So…what's wrong with using Wikipedia???

• You never really know who the author is and anyone can write and/or edit the entries.

• If we don’t know who the authors are….how do we determine if they are a reliable and credible source?

• Examples:

Introducing ABCA•Authority•Bias•Currency•Accuracy

Authority

• Authority indicates whether the author is recognized as a expert in that specific area of knowledge.

• Who is the author or the person responsible for the information on the page?

• Are they knowledgeable, qualified and reliable?• Is the author an expert in this field? What evidence can you find

for this?• Is there a way to contact the author?• Is the author part of an organization?• Does the domain name or URL reveal any information about this

site?• Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division

Let’s cite it:• Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division

• Publisher = • Publication date =• Author =• Website Title =• Webpage Title =

Bias

• Websites used for research should not be biased.• That means they present factual information without

personal prejudice.• Ask yourself: What is the purpose of the page? To teach?

To sell? To persuade? To entertain? To complete a class assignment? 

• What do you think of this website which came up in a Google search for information on tobacco?

• Friends of Tobacco

Let’s cite it:• Friends of Tobacco

• Publisher = • Publication date =• Author =• Website Title =• Webpage Title =

Currency

•When was the site last updated?• Are there a lot of dead

links? 

Accuracy

• Where does the information come from? Are there references or works cited information?

• Are there grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors?• Does the information conflict with things you learned in

school?• A Brief Introduction to Holocaust Revisionism• Introduction to the Holocaust

Let’s cite it:

• Introduction to the Holocaust

• Publisher = • Publication date =• Author =• Website Title =• Webpage Title =

Is this a reliable website for school research?

You decide:

Let’s cite it:• All About Explorers

• Publisher = • Publication date =• Author =• Website Title =• Webpage Title =

Can I use these sites for school research?

Website evaluation takes too much time!

Isn’t there some other way?