Evaluating Web Resources

1. Evaluating Web Resources Adapted From: U.C. Berkeley Library’s Free Online Internet Tutorial http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

2. Do you agree ? • Finding the same information on several different Web sites means that the information is true. • Most all valuable information can be found on the Internet. • The World Wide Web is the best place to find what I’m looking for, because it’s larger than all the largest libraries in the world combined. • Search engines list the best sites first.

3. Facts • Only careful evaluation can tell you if any resource is reliable. • Only a small fraction of important reading material can be found via the Internet: • Most of what’s in print will never be digitized or online. • The size of the web comes mostly from commercial sites (over 60% of all sites). • Search engines are organized by computers and the results are ranked by computer programs oblivious to information quality. Ranking by popularity - who links to a site (as in Google) -often brings to the top many unreliable sites.

4. Pre-quiz • You’re researching the topic: “Women and AIDS“ You find this Why not believe it?

5. 7 Steps to Web Research with HEALTHY SKEPTICISM

6. #1. Look at the URLWhere is the page in cyberspace ? • Type of domain • By domain code example: .com., .edu, .net, .gov, .mil • Non-U.S. 2-character codes example: .fr, .de, .uk, .ca, .jp • U.S. States example: .ca.us, .nv.us, tx.us .ga.us • Does the domain match the type of information? • Government page from a .net ??? • University from geocities ??? • Car evaluations from honda.org ??? • Opinions on hate crimes from hatecrimes.com ???

7. Still in the URL:Clues to the page’s origination • Who published the page (put it on the web) ? • Publisher equivalent usually = “server” or “host” Look between the http:// and the first / ( http://library.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html ) • Is the content appropriate for this publisher? NY Times article from aol.com ??? • Spot & watch out for possible personal pages • Is there a ~ (tilde) or a % in the URL preceding a name ? http://who.what.edu/~pjones/whatever.html http://www.cs.unb.ca/%alopez-o/polind.html • A personal name after “users” or “people” ? http://www.host.com/users/pjones/lookhere.html http://globeserver.net:2001/people/pjones/next.html

8. #2 Who wrote the page ?Try to establish AUTHORITY Just an e-mail address is not enough. Write & ask for more information • Look for a name or e-mail link • Footer, sidebars, top • Credentials of author • “About” section, or “my philosophy” • Does affiliation with the organization validate? • Professor? Student? Employee (position)? • Be suspicious if “free lance”

9. No name, or author’s affiliation is unclear... • Try truncating back the URL? Lop off from the end up to each slash (/) http://www.hanksville.org/yucatan/mayacal.html • Who owns the domain name? • Look it up at one of the Registrars of Domains Try searching whitehouse.netat Network Solutions WhoIs • Names, phone and fax numbers • Not useful if a commercial web-hosting service like Aol or Geocities

10. #3 Check the dateCurrent? Recently updated? • Date appropriate for the content ? • Techniques: • “Last updated” at bottom ? • Try VIEW (with right mouse click) | “Page info” • Look at other pages from this site: • Truncate back the URL to “higher” pages • Not all pages on a site are updated at once • Undated factual or statistical information is no better than ANONYMOUS information • Look for census, fact book, edition, or journal information?

11. #4 Look for authenticity of cited information • Are you at an authentic source? A well known newspaper, journal, organization, institution –the real one? • Check if they own the domain name • Government sites should be .gov or .mil or us.ca, etc. • If quoting something else, a facsimile, or excerpt, is it unmodified and complete ? • It’s easy to falsify a document and mimic the original format • People retype with mistakes, or omit information selectively • Compare with the original elsewhere or in the Library • Is documentation thorough? • Links or footnotes to authentic sites

12. And require overall integrity, reliability • What is the page’s purpose ? Why was it created ? • To inform ? • To give facts or data or schedules ? • To persuade, explain ? • To sell, entice ? • To share, disclose a personal something ? • Who links to the page? What do they say? • link: search in Google or AltaVista • Look for it in a reliable, annotated directory • Librarians’ Index (lii.org), about.com, britannica.com

13. #5 Look for bias EVERYTHING HAS SOME BIAS A commitment to no bias is a bias • Who sponsors the page ? • Sponsors, ads, funding, affiliation Could the sponsor be a stakeholder in the page’s content? The EGG Society – a good source of cholesterol info? • Links to other viewpoints balanced, annotated ? • What is NOT being said ? • Try to think of alternative points of view • Look for your own biases • Are you being completely fair ? • Is the site good for some things and not others ? • Are your hopes biasing your interpretation ?

14. #6 Check for irony, satire…if you haven’t spotted it already • Humorous tone? Parody? • Exaggeration? Overblown arguments? • Outrageous photographs and juxtapositions • Argument clearly impossible or absurd • Might this be a joke you’d feel foolish to cite seriously? • Or someone serious with whom you disagree so much you think it’s a joke, but it’s not ?

15. #7 Step back, add it all up • Does EVERYTHING you’ve found out “feel right” ? • Does it add up to integrity and reliability ? • Do you need more information ? • If not, be sure to use it with qualifying statements • Document and incorporate your reservations • Look for other, complementary sources as well

16. Cite correctlywhat you decide to use • See Online Citation styles at: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html • In a nutshell: • Always provide the typeof electronic source (website, telnet, etc.) and the date you found it • Citation format is otherwise similar to the format for printed works • Be consistent: follow the style guideline suggested by your instructor throughout your paper

17. TRY evaluating some sites • Go to the page: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html • Select 2 or 3 sites from the clusters of topics listed • Use the Web Page Evaluationworksheet to guide you through each page • We will discuss what you’ve discovered during the last 10 or 15 minutes of the class

18. References Citations: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html Domain Codes: http://www.ics.uci.edu/pub/websoft/wwwstat/country-codes.txt Fictitious Aides Site: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Barker/AIDSfacts.html Finding Information on the Internet, An Online Tutorial: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html Handouts for the Teaching Library Internet Workshops: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Handouts.html Network Solutions WhoIs: http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois Registrars of Domains: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html#Domain Web Page Evaluation Worksheet: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html