Do you believe everything you find on the internet?

Evaluating websites

Why does it matter?

The Internet is an uncontrolled environment, anyone can post any information to it for any purpose and at any time.

It is therefore useful to bear in mind the following questions to help you evaluate websites and make sure that the information you use is of good quality.

Who is the information provider?Are they a reliable source of this information?Why is the information provided?When was it last updated?

Accuracy

• Is the information reliable and error free?• Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the

information?• Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed

so they can be verified in another source?• What is the purpose of the document and why was it

produced?• Is the information in the resource accurate?• Does it look professional?

Authority

• Who is the author or producer/publisher? Is the page signed?

• Can the author be contacted for clarification or be informed of new information?

• Is the author qualified or an expert in the field? What credentials are listed for the author(s)?

• Is the site sponsored? If so, by whom? Check the URL (e.g. http://www.fbi.gov) or domain e.g. .edu, .com, .ac.uk, .org, .net.

• Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of the page/site's sponsor? - e.g. phone number or postal address?

Coverage

• Is it all images or a balance of text and images?• Is the information presented cited correctly?• If page requires special software to view the

information, how much are you missing if you don't have the software?

• Is it free or is there a fee to obtain the information?

Currency

• Is the page up to date? When was it produced?• If so, when was it last updated? How frequently is it

updated?• How current are the links? Are they updated

regularly? Have some expired or moved?• How many dead links are on the page?• Is the information on the page outdated?

Bias

• What opinions (if any) are expressed by the author?• Determine if page is a mask for advertising; if so

information might be biased.• View any Web page as you would an infomercial on

television. Ask yourself: why was this written and for whom?

One important aspect of evaluating the reliability of any content, is evidence of bias within the document.

END OF PRESENTATION

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