Rules of Thumb Evaluating Websites. NVRHS OT – LMC – Information Skills The Tale of Calamity Jane Austin: A student “googled” the author

Rules of Thumb

Evaluating Websites

NVRHS OT – LMC – Information Skills

The Tale of Calamity Jane Austin: A student “googled” the author . . .


and located a webpage on Austin’s life . . .


and a link to a webpage on Austin’s novels . . . .


The student took notes for a presentation . . .


And created a colorful poster . . . .


However, Jane Austen wrote these novels:


You need to evaluate Websites


Why evaluate?

The World Wide Web can be a great place to accomplish research on many topics.

Loading documents or pages on the web, however, is easy, cheap or free, unregulated, and unmonitored.

Search engines rank results by the frequency and placement of keywords on a page, and by how many other sites link to it, not by evaluating content.

The burden is on you to establish the validity, authorship, timeliness, and integrity of what you find.

If you want to use the Internet for serious research, you need to cultivate the habit of healthy skepticism, of questioning everything you find with critical thinking.


Reason 1: Quantity

The Internet is a virtual library, consisting of an unlimited amount of information

Anyone is allowed to publish, access, and link to this information

1994 = 900 Websites2007 > 100 million


Reason 2: Quality

Information that has been published on the Web, is no indication of its believability or accuracy.

Websites are posted with omissions and errors – intentional OR accidental

No editors

No standards

No approval ratings


Reason 3: Purpose

Websites are created for a variety of purposes:

to inform, persuade, sell, and change attitudes or

beliefs.

Websites adhering to scholarly standards may have pages that are posted by individuals.


Rule of Thumb

In Ancient Rome,

Thumbs up = life

Thumbs down = death


What to evaluate

ABCs:

Accuracy

Authority

Bias-free

Coverage

Currency


Accuracy

Reasons

Unlike traditional print resources, web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers.

Currently, no web standardsexist to ensure accuracy.


Questions to Determine Accuracy

Are the facts correct?

Can you verify the information?

Are there inaccuracies, Like typos?

Does the site have a reliable author or organization behind it?

Can the author be contacted for clarification?

Are their sources cited?

What is another site that could be accessed to verify the data?

Are there links to other sites or sources on the topic?

What print resources could be used?

Is the content of the site a true reflection of what it says it is?


Techniques for Evaluating Accuracy

Look for links called "additional sites," "related links," etc.

In the text, if you see little footnote numbers or links that might refer to documentation, take the time to explore them. What kinds of publications or sites are they? Are they real?

Find out what other web pages link to this page. Look up the publisher's name in a search engine.


Authority

Reasons

Anyone can publish anything on the web.

It is often hard to determine a web page's authorship.

Even if a page is signed, qualifications are not usually provided.

Sponsorship is not always indicated.


Questions to Determine Authority

Is there an author listed?

How much experience does the author have in this area?

What is the author's occupation?

What is the author's educational background?

What is the author's reputation among others in the field?

Who is the sponsor?

Is the sponsor of the page reputable? How reputable?

Is there a link to information about the author or the sponsor?

If the Webpage does NOT include either the author or the publisher, can you use any other tools to determine its origin?


Techniques for Evaluating Authority

Look for a header or footer showing affiliation, such as links that say "About us," "Philosophy," "Background," "Biography," "Who am I," etc.

Look at the URL. http://www.fbi.gov, ~personal name, or %member

Look at the domain. .edu, .com, .ac.uk, .org, .net

If you cannot find any links like these, you can often find this kind of information if you truncate back the URL.


Bias-Free

Reasons

Frequently the goals of the sponsors/authors are not clearly stated.

Often the Web serves as a virtual soapbox.


Questions to Determine Bias-Freedom

What are the stated goals of this page?

What point of view does the author represent?

Is the website sponsored by a company or organization that advocates a certain philosophy?

Is the page designed to sway opinion?

Is the language of the document often extreme?

Is the Website trying to argue a position?

Does the argument appeal more to the emotions than to reason?

Does the argument oversimplify or over generalize?

Is there any advertising on the page?


Techniques for Evaluating Bias

Why was the page posted to the web? To inform or give facts and data? Explain or persuade? Sell or entice? Share? Disclose?

Think about the tone of the page. Is it humorous? A parody? Exaggerated? Does it have overblown arguments?

Be sensitive to the possibility that it is ironic, a spoof, fraud, or other falsehood.


Coverage

Reasons

Web coverage often differs from print coverage.

Frequently, it's difficult to determine the extent of coverage of a topic from a web page.

The page may or may not include links to other web pages or print references.

Sometimes web information is "just for fun", someone's personal expression, or a hoax.


Questions to Determine Coverage

Scope

What items are included in the resource?

What is the breadth of the website?

How in-depth is the material?

Does the site contain original information or simply links?

Audience

Who is the intended audience?

Is the material too technical or too clinical?

Is it too elementary or basic?

Could you locate the information in other formats?

What does this page offer that you cannot find anywhere else?


Currency

Reasons

Publication or revision dates are not always provided.

If a date is provided, it may have various meanings.

It may indicate when the material was first written

It may indicate when the material was first placed on the Web

It may indicate when the material was last revised


Questions to Determine Currency

Is the web page dated?

Is the web site dated?

Has it been updated? When?

How accurately can you determine the date of publication or updating?

Does the original date of publication affect the reliability of the information?

Does the date the Webpage was updated affect the reliability of the information?

How current are the links? Have any expired or moved?


Five “Thumbs” Rules

Accuracy

Authority

Bias-free

Coverage

Currency


If . . ., then . . .


If not . . .


Works Cited

Barker, Joe. "Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask ." UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops . 12Dec2006. UC Berkeley. 21 Dec 2006 <http://wwwlib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html>.

Beck, Susan E.. "Evaluation Criteria." The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources. 19 Oct 2006. New Mexico State University Library . 21 Dec 2006 <http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html>.

Caspers, Jean. "Criteria for Evaluating Information Sources." Nicholson Library. Fall 2006. Linfield College. 21 Dec 2006 <http://calvin.linfield.edu/~jcaspers/critchart.htm>.

"Evaluate Web Pages." Wolfgram Memorial Library. Widener University. 21 Dec 2006 <http://www3.widener.edu/Academics/Libraries/Wolfgram_Memorial_Library/Evaluate_Web_Pages/659/>.

Grassian, Esther. "Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide!." UCLA College Library. 13 June 2006. University of California. 21 Dec 2006 <http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/hoax/index.htm>.


Works Cited 2

Kaisler, Lora K.. "MicroModule: accuracy ." 21st Century Information Fluency Project. 2003. Illinois Science and Mathematics Academy. 21 Dec 2006 <http://21cif.imsa.edu/tutorials/micro/mm/accuracy>.

Kaisler, Lora K. and Dennis O’Connor. "Date: How Recently Was the Page Published or Updated?." 21st Century Information Fluency Project. 2003. Illinois Science and Mathematics Academy. 21 Dec 2006 <http://21cif.imsa.edu/tutorials/micro/mm/date>.

Kaisler, Lora K. and Dennis O’Connor. "Indicators of Bias." 21st Century Information Fluency Project. 2003. Illinois Science and Mathematics Academy. 21 Dec 2006 <http://21cif.imsa.edu/tutorials/micro/mm/bias>.

Kaisler, Lora K. and Dennis O’Connor "Who is the Author?." 21st Century Information Fluency Project. Illinois Science and Mathematics Academy. 21 Dec 2006 <http://21cif.imsa.edu/tutorials/micro/mm/author>.

McMillin, Paul. "Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages." (Transcribed from Jim Kapoun. "Teaching Undergrads WEB Evaluation: A Guide for Library Instruction." C&RL News (July/August 1998): 522-523.) Olin & Uris Library. 11 Dec 2006. Cornell Universtiy Library. 21 Dec 2006 <http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html>.

Image sources: Emperor, http://www.theartofpolitics.com, 10 May 2007. Austen’s novels, Bergen County Computer Library System Catalog @ http://www.bccls.org, 11 May 2007. Catroon, http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/idog.jpg @

http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/idog.html, 20 December, 2006

Documents

Rules of Thumb Evaluating Websites. NVRHS OT – LMC – Information Skills The Tale of Calamity Jane Austin: A student “googled” the author