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“But that’s what it said on the internet!". Evaluating a website…. Credible or not?. Who “authors” the web?. Anyone – all it takes is a computer and internet access. Expertise – none required. Reviewed by…no one. No editors, either. How often? As soon as it is written!. Authority
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“But that’s what it said on the internet!" Evaluating a website… Credible or not?
Who “authors” the web? • Anyone – all it takes is a computer and internet access. • Expertise – none required. • Reviewed by…no one. No editors, either. • How often? As soon as it is written!
Authority Objectivity Accuracy Currency Presentation Criteria for evaluating a website:
Authority… • Who wrote it? • What are their qualifications? • Are they experts?
Objectivity… • Is this fact or opinion? • Is it biased?
Accuracy… • Is this true? • Where did the information come from (citations!)? • Can you verify this information somewhere else (that doesn’t cite this site)?
Currency… • When was this information published to the web? • Does it meet the currency criteria for your research? • How often is it updated?
Presentation… • Does it appear to be professional? • How is it organized? • Do the links work?
What does URL mean? • Uniform Resource Locator • An Internet address (for example, http://www.hmco.com/trade/), usually consisting of the access protocol (http), the domain name (www.hmco.com), and optionally the path to a file or resource residing on that server (trade). (American Heritage Dictionary)
URL = Address Addresses used on the web to indicate the virtual location of a web site or document.
Can you tell by the address? • .edu typically represents educational institutions like www.iastate.edu. • More likely to be controlled for the quality of information and the expertise of the authors.
Can you tell by the address? • .com This represents a commercial site or a business, such as www.cnn.com. • Reputable organizations are more likely to have reputable information but bias still exists.
Can you tell by the address? • .org - organization or association. • Organizations represent specific causes/beliefs. • The line between .com and .org can blur (.org can also sell and profit) • www.ira.org is an example.
Can you tell by the address? • .gov Represent governmental organizations like www.iowa.gov/educate • Usually accurate and professionally prepared.
Can you tell by the address? • .int International - www.who.int • Content and quality varies by author and organization (of course)
Can you tell by the address? • .mil • The United States military - www.navy.mil • No slant or bias here
Why can’t I just google? • Miss important web resources that do not appear on free web search engines. • Not all sites are accurate. • Sites may be interpretations of research but not research based. • You will get only what you ask for not everything you need to look for.