Evaluating Web Sources

Evaluating Web Sources By amy woodworth With adaptations from erin Herberg’s “Evaluating web sites by type”

Research as Inquiry We are not looking for sources to support a pre-determined thesis. We want our theses to grow out of the research itself after learning as much as we can and listening to different points of view.

Core Value 4: Information Literacy Writers understand that there are different types of information and different ways to interpret information. Writers decide what information is needed based on audience, purpose, and context. Writers know how to find information effectively and how to evaluate its quality. Writers know how to incorporate information into their writing.

Medium of Delivery • The medium is no guarantee of anything—there is a variety of types of books, web sites, blogs, documentary/non-fiction films, etc. • Therefore, we need to examine the authors, editors, and content to decide what to use and how.

Evaluating Web Sites Web sites can be troublesome when it comes to evaluation since they cover such a broad spectrum of content and purpose. A critical rhetorical approach applies to all information and using that approach for web sites is especially useful—particularly when purpose drives that approach. Using this approach to separate the vehicle of delivery (a web site) from the purpose of the web site leads to a clearer evaluations of the quality of information we encounter on stand-alone web sites.

Defining Web Sitesby Rhetorical Purpose If we think about purpose, we can begin to categorize web sites for analysis. The list below is a place to start. • News Sites (can include reporting and editorial/opinions) • Advocacy Sites (usually end in .org) • Informational Sites (includes educational and scholarly sites, such as online academic journals, and government sites) • Business Sites • Entertainment Sites • Personal (includes blogs and social media accounts) Note: a single site can contain more than one purpose.

Think about YOUR purpose: Need factual information Need points of view • News sites—the articles • Scholarly sites (primarily based on author and/or editorial board) • Informational sites (such as government sites for statistics or archives) • Advocacy sites • News sites--editorials, op-ed pieces (opinion pieces) • Scholarly sites (an author can represent a school of thought or perspective)

Primary vs. Secondary Primary Secondary • First-hand gathering of info (interviews, surveys, etc. that YOU conduct yourself) • Original documents, creative works, and artifacts • Other people’s analyses, studies, reports Sometimes we intentionally use “crappy” primary sources.

primary source/non-experts

Credibility • Can you identify the person or group responsible for the site? • Individual author—is s/he an expert? What is his/her reputation? • Publication—is there an editorial board that provides authority? Does the publication have a reputation for quality? • Note: While a belligerent tone is generally not a good sign, an author aiming to sound fair shouldn’t be trusted just based on that tone—look them up.

Go to… Hitler.org

Quality • Accurate/reliable—can be hard tell if you are new to a topic; good place to start is to consider sources used • Appropriate level of depth • Sources are credited/cited; could follow up • Current enough for your purpose • Generally free of errors and typos

Angle of Vision and Bias • If an angle of vision is clearly there, you need to decide if it matters; you may even WANT it if your purpose is to seek different points of view. • If no angle of vision is obvious, Google the author or site so that you are informed of potential bias. • Note that almost all sources are biased in the sense that for everything that IS included (facts, testimonies, etc.), other things are excluded. Even deciding something is worth writing about is a form of bias.

What to Look for on Every Web Site • Last updated date • An “About” link (website responsibility) and/or mission statement • Contact information (with real names and a physical address) • Functioning links • Competent design

Remember: There is no magic formula. Need to consider and weigh all relevant criteria for evaluation. A good basic question to ask is “what makes this source special? Why would it be superior to another similar source?” Always think about how the source will reflect on you. Would it suggest to a reader that you are being picky and careful?

Sites to Practice Evaluation: For more practice, take a look at these two sites. Which seems more credible as a source for facts or fact-checking? Which would reflect better on you? • Justfacts.com • Factcheck.org

Evaluating Web Sources