Web Site Evaluation

Critical Thinking About What You See On The Web.

For Fun and Games and Pretty Pictures the web is fine…..

But is the web a good research tool?

Yes! As long as you

THINK about what you are using.

Make Sure You Are In the Right Place!

Is the web the best source of information on your topic?

Is there a reference book that might be faster and more reliable?

Google is not always the best place to start.

When in doubt, DOUBT!

Almost anyone can put up anything on the web for any purpose.

RYT Hospital

Dihydrogen Monoxide

So, how can you tell?

Look for Ambiguity Look for Bias Compare two sources. Look for such things as

bibliographic citations or links to resources

Consider the Source

Who wrote the web page? Are they experts?

Think about the Holiday Inn commercials.

Is this a commercial, governmental, personal, or academic Web site?

Consider the Source

Search: Look at the domains: .com – business .edu – college or university .org – non-profit organization

Know What’s Happening.

What is the purpose of this web page?

To Inform?

To Persuade?

To Sell?

Look at Details.

Is grammar and spelling correct? Are the graphics relevant or

distracting? When was the page last revised?

“Page Created on January 29, 1991”

Sometimes Other Resources are Better!

Sweden:

•Capital

•Official Language

•Unit of Money

Tennessee Electronic Library

Assignment

Using what you’ve just learned about website evaluation, evaluate a given site.