Sources: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Sources: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly How to evaluate reliable Internet sources

If It’s on the Internet, It Must Be True, Right???? • Unfortunately, anyone can upload anything to the web, whether it is true or not. • For example: • http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/ • http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/

No Internet Police • Unlike with most books and journals, the Internet has no one to read and confirm or deny the posted information before it is published. • No one filters the information for accuracy. • What happens when anyone can post anything?

The Good from the Bad • When you are researching for a paper or you just Google something, it is easy to be fooled by websites that seem to be reliable. • Here are some examples: • New Hartford, Minnesota - Visit the city of New Hartford, Minnesota. • Mankato, Minnesota - Visit Mankato, Minnesota.

Tricky! • The previous two web pages look real but New Hartford, Minnesota is not a real city, and the Mankato web page is a fake. Mankato, Minnesota is a real city, but this is not their web site. • The real Mankato, Minnesota's web site is at http://www.ci.mankato.mn.us/

The Really Bad • The World Trade Organization web site at http://www.gatt.org/ is a counterfeit. The actual World Trade Organization site is at http://www.wto.org/. • The Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division at http://www.dhmo.org/ provides a lot of information about this essential chemical. Or does it? Can you figure this one out?

The Ugly • Some internet sites look like they have good information but are really designed to fool you. The site about Martin Luther King, Jr. at http://www.martinlutherking.org/ looks real but it is run by a neo-Nazi organization and is filled will fake facts, misleading information, and racist content. • The Stanford University's Martin Luther King, Jr. site at http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/ is a trustworthy web site for information.

Be Careful! • Even really smart people (doctors and college professors), can be fooled by sources that seem real, but are not. • Rule of 3

So, How Do We Find Good Sources? • Look for the following to evaluate your sources: • Author • Organization • Bias • Current • Works Cited/Bibliography • Audience • Looks • Domain Names

Evaluation Criteria: Author • Who is the author or publisher? • How much experience does the author have in this area? • Author’s occupation? • Author’s educational background? • No author? Check out the company or organization. • Is there contact information?

Evaluation Criteria: Organization • Is the page easy to read? • Is the site easy to navigate? • Is there a Site Search box? • Are the graphics helpful or distracting? • Are there spelling or grammar errors?

Evaluation Criteria: Bias • What is Bias? • What is the purpose of the site? • Inform you? Persuade you? Sell you something? • Indicators of bias? • Author’s point of view • Trying to sell you a product • Full of opinions – trying to persuade • Extreme language • Appeal to emotions

Evaluation Criteria: Current • When was the page published or last updated? • Is it being updated to reflect new trends or current news? • If a few years old, is it still adequate for your research? • Are the links still active?

Evaluation Criteria: Miscellaneous • Works Cited/Bibliography • Audience • Adults? Students? Toddlers? Rocket Scientists? • Looks • Flashy? Plain? • Domain Names • .com (commercial) • .org (organization – non-profit) • .edu (educational) • .net (network)

What Criteria are Covered on This Site? • www.wiu.edu

Wikipedia/Ask.com • Issues with Wikipedia: • There is often no way to know who is editing the entries in Wikipedia. • What are their credentials/experience on the subject? • You cannot be sure that the content is “permanent” • Issues with Ask.com: • Further research is needed for most questions • There is no way to know who is answering your question • What are their credentials/experience on the subject? • Also, be careful using sites with a lot of advertising/pop-ups

Using Search Engines (Google, Yahoo, Etc.) • Every word matters. • All the words you put in the search box will be used. • “What is a verb?” will search for “what” “is” “a” “verb” • Keep it simple; describe what you need with as few terms as possible. • “In what country are bats considered an omen of good luck?” – TOO MUCH! • Try – “bats good luck” • Choose descriptive words. • “Celebrity sounds” – TOO VAGUE • Try – “celebrity ringtones” • Be prepared to describe your subject in many different ways. • Weather (what kind?) • Tornado • Twister • Winds • Storms • Kansas

The Bottom Line • Really think about the source you are about to use before you use it! • Remember the Rule of 3!

Sites on Citing (get it?) • The Owl at Perdue • Education Place • Montgomery College • Sample Bibliography/Works Cited

Bibliography (where I found my information for this presentation) • http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=123m73315vv37804&size=largest • http://taft.cr.k12.ia.us/departments/weblinks/bermuda.html • http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm • http://www.physics.nyu.edu/sokal/lingua_franca_v4/lingua_franca_v4.html • http://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/tutorial/dpl3222.html

Sources: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly