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Evaluating Online Sources: Ensuring Reliable and Accurate Information

In today's digital world, discerning credible information from a sea of content can be challenging. This guide provides essential strategies for evaluating web sources, focusing on the "4 W's": Who authored the content, what is the site's purpose, where the information comes from, and when it was published or last updated. Recognizing reliable domains, understanding potential biases, and applying critical thinking skills are crucial for effective research. Whether for academic or personal use, these evaluation techniques will empower you to navigate online resources confidently.

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Evaluating Online Sources: Ensuring Reliable and Accurate Information

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Have you evaluated? How do you know if the site good enough to cite?

  2. Where do I start my research? The Internet has an overabundance of information How do I know what is fact and what is fiction when anyone can create a website, anyone can pretend to be someone elseand try to mislead you!!! How do I know that the information on the web is reliable, accurate and current?

  3. Use the rule of 4 “W” Whowrote the page? Whatis the purpose of the site? Wheredid it come from? Whenwas it created and last undated?

  4. WHO=Authority Is this a personalpage or is it part of the site belonging to a major institution? Who is the author or the publisher of this web page? (Credentials?Education? Experience?) Does the author’s experience really qualify him or her as an expert?

  5. Look for: Words and phrases as: • About us, • Who Am I, • FAQs, • For More, • Company Information, • Profiles, • Our Staff, • Home If you find only an author’s name, but no further information: • Searchthe name in quotation marks in a search engine or online database • An e-mail address is not sufficient identification!!!

  6. Check the URL/ Domains Mostly Reliable Domains: • .edu-educational site • .gov-U.S. government site • .mil-U.S. military site • .org-organization, often non profit. • .us, .uk, .ca- (These URLs are restricted and registered by higher institutions) Be careful!!! Some websites have strong bias and agendas!!! For example: http://www.martinlutherking.org/

  7. Personal domains • Information might be unreliablewhen the domain is personal • .aol, • .com Look for: • (~) • (%) • “members”, “users”, or “people” Remember: These sites can be registered be anyone!!!

  8. What? • What is the purpose of the site? (to inform, to advertise, educate, to sell, etc.) • Does the language and the tone seems unbiasedand free of emotion?

  9. Where? • Where is the information coming from? (Can facts, statistics beverified?) • Does the site have citations of the original sources (if it is not original research)? • Are there any errors on the page (spelling, grammar, facts)?

  10. When? • When was this information created or published? • When was it last updatedor revised? • Has the author of the page stopped maintaining it? • Are all the linksstill functional?

  11. Warning signs: Advertisements andPop-ups Spellingand Grammar errorson the page Personal bias and opinion

  12. Remember, the freeWeb is not your only choice! You can also use: Print sources Subscription databases (Britannica Online) Your librarian’s advice

  13. Why should we care about all of this?

  14. Because: • These skills will help you to make some important decisions in life • You want to be sure that the information you found on line is credible, accurate, reliable, and current!

  15. Just as you evaluate your sources . . . Your teacher will evaluate your work based on the quality of the sources youselect. • Evaluate carefully. • Don’t settle for less!

  16. Exercise Estimate the quality of the following websites Nobel Prize.org: Martin Luther King Jr. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html Martinlutherking.org http://www.martinlutherking.org/ Fact Monster: Martin Luther King Jr. http://www.factmonster.com/spot/mlkjrday1.html

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