Be Information Literateon the Internet --

Evaluate!

• WHO is responsible for the site?

• WHAT is the purpose of the site?

• WHEN was the page created and last updated?

• WHERE can you verify the information?

• WHY would you use or not use this site for research?

Use journalism’s 5 W’s to evaluate:

If you search Google for “octopus,”

you will find this site near the top of the list:

http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

Link to this site, arrow to the bottom of page one, and answer the question,

WHO is responsible for this site?

WHO -

www.aqua.org/animals_giantpacificoctopus.html

WHO is responsible for this site?

If you browse your Google list, down on page 4 you will find this site:

Link to this site, check into “About Us – Who’s Who” in the left column. Is this site is likely to be a more reliable source of information?

What do you think is the purpose of this

web page?

http://www.dhmo.org/

WHAT -

Did you get the joke about Dihydrogen-Monoxide? If not, ask a chemistry student.

Notice that a purpose beyond amusing you seems to be selling T-shirts.

WHAT is the purpose of the site?

WHEN -

When was this page created and last updated?

www.bandersnatch.com/guide.htm

WHEN was the page created and last updated?

Besides all the other reasons to doubt, did the bandersnatch.com site seem sufficiently current for a “University” site?

WHERE -

Where can you verify the information on this Internet

site?

http://sunny.crk.umn.edu/courses/MISC/MCG/

WHERE can you verify the information?

Unless your Internet information is from an LCPS-purchased Online Database, you MUST verify the information!

Suggested places to verify:Print – an encyclopedia, an atlas of the statesDatabase – Access Science, Business NewsBank

Note: the .edu url of this site, http://sunny.crk.umn.edu/courses/MISC/MCG/does NOT mean it can be trusted without verification!

www.molossia.org/countryeng.html

WHY would you – or would you not – use this site for research?

WHY -

Protect yourself from misinformation.

Always EVALUATE sources -- and double check facts!