1 / 31

Evaluation of web sites

Evaluation of web sites. Evaluation. Quality of Web resources varies a lot! Criteria needed to evaluate Web resources We need to evaluate: Accuracy Authority Objectivity Currency Coverage. It is often difficult to tell. what something is where it came from how it got there

bliss
Download Presentation

Evaluation of web sites

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Evaluation of web sites

  2. Evaluation • Quality of Web resources varies a lot! • Criteria needed to evaluate Web resources • We need to evaluate: • Accuracy • Authority • Objectivity • Currency • Coverage

  3. It is often difficult to tell • what something is • where it came from • how it got there • who the author is • Don't you think if it was important enough to put out on the Internet, people should give pertinent information about it? But this is not always the case!

  4. Accuracy • How reliable and free from error is the information? • Are there editors and fact checkers? • How does this information compare with that in other sources in the field?

  5. Accuracy • Almost anyone can publish on the Web • are they reliable? accurate? truthful? • is it meaningful? thoughtful? researched? • Many Web resources not verified by editors and/or fact checkers • Web standards to ensure accuracy not fully developed

  6. Authority • What are the author’s qualifications for writing on the subject? • What is her/his occupation, position, education, experience? • How reputable is the publisher?

  7. Authority • Often difficult to determine authorship of Web resources • If author’s name listed, his/her qualifications frequently absent • Publisher responsibility often not indicated

  8. Objectivity • Is the information presented with a minimum of bias? • To what extent is the information trying to sway the opinion of the audience? • Goals/aims of persons or groups presenting material often not clearly stated

  9. Objectivity • To what audience is the author writing? • Is this reflected in the writing style, vocabulary, or tone? • Does the material inform? explain? persuade? • Is there sufficient evidence? • What conclusions are drawn?

  10. Currency • Is the content of the work up-to-date? • Is the publication date clearly indicated? • Dates not always included on Web pages • If included, a date may have various meanings: • Date first created • Date placed on Web • Date last updated

  11. Coverage • What topics are included in the work? • To what depth are topics explored?

  12. Additional Challenges • Use of Hypertext Links • Use of Frames • Search Engines Can Retrieve Pages Out of Context • Marketing-Oriented Web Pages • Blending of Entertainment, Information, and Advertising

  13. Additional Challenges • Software Requirements May Limit Access • Instability of Web Pages • Susceptibility of Web Pages to Alteration

  14. Use of Hypertext Links • Quality of Web pages linked to original Web page may vary • Coping Strategy: • Evaluate each Web page independently

  15. Use of Frames • Each frame displays a separate Web page • Coping Strategy: • Evaluate each frame independently

  16. Search Engines Can Retrieve Web Pages Out of Context • Coping Strategy: • Always try to return to the home page to determine the source of information

  17. Marketing-Oriented Web Pages • In other media, there usually are clear visual and/or audio distinctions between advertising and information • On the Web, distinctions between advertising and information can become extremely blurred • Coping Strategy: • Try to determine if advertising and informational content are supplied by the same person or organization

  18. Software Requirements May Limit Access to Information • Full access may require additional software • Browsers may alter the appearance of Web Pages • Be aware that software limitations may: • Alter how much information is obtainable • Alter the appearance of information obtained

  19. Instability of Web Pages • Web pages may move or disappear without notice • User may not be able to refer back to a Web page • Try to determine the stability of your source

  20. Web Pages Susceptible to Alteration • Accidental alteration • Deliberate alteration • Attempt to verify information using other sources

  21. Web Page Evaluation Procedure • Step 1: Identify type of page • Step 2: Use appropriate checklist • Step 3: Based on checklist criteria, determine relative quality of page

  22. Web Page Evaluation Procedure Step 1: Identify the Type of Web Page • Business/Marketing • Informational • News • Personal • Entertainment

  23. Web Page Evaluation Procedure Step 2: Use the Appropriate Checklist • Answer questions with Yes or No Step 3: Based on the Checklist Criteria, Determine the Relative Quality of the Web Page • The greater number of checklist questions answered yes, the more likely the page is of higher informational quality

  24. Conclusion • Web evaluation techniques are only beginning to be developed • Establishing evaluation procedures will be an ongoing evolutionary process

  25. Links to Sites/Pages Which Can Be Used to Discuss Authority and Accuracy • Tobacco Control Archives (http://www.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/index.html) WWW.CIOLEK.COM Asia Pacific Research Online (http://www.ciolek.com)The Onion (http://www.theonion.com)Dihydrogen Monoxide (http://www.dhmo.org)United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (http://www.ushmm.org) Institute for Historical Review (http://www.ihr.org)

  26. Links to Sites/Pages Which Can Be Used to Discuss Objectivity The National Right to Life Committee (http://www.nrlc.org)NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) (http://www.naral.org) Consumer Reports Online (http://www.consumerreports.org) BeefNutrition.org (http://www.beefnutrition.org)

  27. Links to Sites/Pages Which Can Be Used to Discuss Currency and Coverage USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com) Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 Edition (http://humanities.uchicago.edu/forms_unrest/webster.form.html CNN (htp://www.cnn.com)

  28. Links to Sites/Pages Which Can Be Used to Discuss Additional Evaluation Challenges • Marketing Oriented Web Pages (Blending Advertising and Entertainment or Information) No Smoke Home Page (http://www.smokefreekids.com/)Melatonin Central (http://www.melatonin.com) The "Alternative" White House (http://www.whitehouse.net) The Official White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov)Chips Ahoy (http://www.chipsahoy.com)Joe Boxer (http://www.joeboxer.com) CourtTV (http://www.trutv.com) Time Warner's Pathfinder (http://www.pathfinder.com/welcome) • Sites Which May Require Additional Software to View Selected PagesPBS Kids (http://www.pbs.org/kids)

  29. Examples of the Various Types of Web Pages • Advocacy Web PagesPhysicians for Social Responsibility (http://www.psr.org)The National Anti-Vivisection Society (http://www.navs.org) • Business/Marketing Web PagesLands' End Direct Merchants(http://www.landsend.com/) General Motors (http://gm.com)

  30. Informational Web PagesEnvironmental Protection Agency (http://www.epa.gov)OncoLink (http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu)Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library (http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Buddhism.html)Smithsonian Institution (http://www.si.edu) • News Web PagesWashington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com) Wall Street Journal (http://www.wsj.com)

  31. Personal Web PagesLarry Wall’s Home Page (http://www.wall.org/~larry/)Timothy Burke's Home Page (http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/tburke1)

More Related