Evaluating Website Credibility

1. Evaluating Website Credibility Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

2. How to Determine if a Source is Credible • Ask yourself the following questions to determine if a source is credible: • Who is the author? Credible sources are written by authors respected in their fields of study. Responsible, credible authors will cite their sources so that you can check the accuracy of and the support for what they’ve written. (This is also a good way to find more sources for your research.)

3. Additional Questions • How recent in the source? The choice to seek recent sources is important in with your topic. Many of these issues you are researching are experiencing rapid changes, so it’s vital you find current sources. • What is the author’s purpose? When deciding which sources to use, you should take the purpose or point of view of the author into consideration. Is the author presenting a neutral, objective view of a topic? Or is the author advocating one specific view of a topic? Who is funding the research or writing of this source? A source written from a particular point of view may be credible; however, you need to be careful that your sources don't limit your coverage of a topic to one side of a debate.

4. One More Tip… • Be especially careful when evaluating Internet sources! Never use Web sites where an author cannot be determined, unless the site is associated with a reputable institution such as a respected university, a credible media outlet, government program or department, or well-known non-governmental organizations. Beware of using sites like Wikipedia, which are collaboratively developed by users. Because anyone can add or change content, the validity of information on such sites may not meet the standards for academic research.

5. Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing • Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

6. Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing • Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

7. Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing • Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attributed summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

8. 6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing • Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. • Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card. • Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.

9. 6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing 4) Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form. • Use quotation marks to identify any unique term to phrase you have borrowed exactly from the source. • Record the source (including the page) on your note card so you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.