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Evaluating Credible WebsitesCriteriaExplanationAUTHORSHIPNote that "author" can mean a person or organization.Who is the author of the website?What are the author's credentials? Is the author an authority on the subject? Is it another student? A professor? Your next door neighbor?Is the author an organization? What do you know (or what can you find out) about this organization? What is its purpose?ACCURACYInformation must be judged accurate and verifiable before you use it in your own research or assignmentsIs the site edited well? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Is it written in a style that you would expect for the topic and audience?Don't accept the information at face value - you'll need to take time to consult other sources (including non-web sources) to verify accuracy fullyDoes the information on the site "fit" with other information that you have on the topic? Or are there discrepancies with other sources of information?Does the author provide a way to verify information on this site? Are footnotes, citations, or sources provided?CURRENCYLook at both the date of publication and update, as well as the dates for any cited information.Is the page or website being updated and maintained?When was the page written? Last updated or revised?How current is the information? Does this fit your needs? Note that website content written in May 2008 might contain information from 1975.Be aware that "Last updated" may mean any update on the page, including stylistic changes such as different colors or layout - not necessarily changes to content.CONTENTDoes the information on the website meet your research or information needs?How detailed is the information - is it basic or advanced?Is the coverage of the topic complete? Does it leave out important information? Does it offer more than one perspective?Is the web page part of a longer document? Sometimes you will need to look at more than one page to get the complete picture.Is there a bibliography or links to other information on the topic? How were the links selected? Are the other sources mentioned relevant and credible?How does the content compare with other resources (books, journal articles, other web pages) on the same topic?PURPOSEThe purpose of the site should be clear. Be aware that some sites present opinion as fact in order to sell or persuade.Does this site present fact or opinion?What is the purpose of the site? To inform? To sell? To persuade?Is the site objective, showing multiple sides of an issue? Bias is not necessarily reason to reject a source - but be sure that you can identify it.Who is the intended audience? Advanced researchers in a field? Elementary school students? Members of a particular organization or viewpoint?If there is advertising on the page, does this affect the content?DESIGNVisual layout, choice of images and media files often have an impact on a website's professional credibility.What kind of information - textual, visual, aural - does the page present, and does this add or detract from the page's usefulness or legibility?Do image or other media files slow down load time or navigation through the website?Do the different design components work, or are images, sound files, etc. unable to display, play, or run?Does the web page require specific add-on software in order to read, see, print, or listen to resources linked on the page? Is that add-on software readily available or must it be purchased?Some Common Domain Names.edu?- education sitesedu website can be written by any student with space on their college’s server. It does not mean the website and or information contained within the website is factual or even credible..gov -?government sitesit is most likely a reliable government web site. Government sites are usually good sources for?statistics?and objective reports..org -?organization sitesUsually non-profit organizations. They can be very good sources or very poor sources, so you'll have to take care to research their possible agendas or political biases, if they exist. For instance, is the organization that provides the SAT and other tests. You can find valuable information, statistics, and advice on that site. is a non-profit organization that provides educational public broadcasts. It provides a wealth of quality articles on its site. Other sites with the .org ending are advocacy groups that are highly political in nature. White it is entirely possible to find reliable information from a site like this, as always, you should be mindful of the political slant and acknowledge this in your work..com -?commercial sitesCommercial sites?- Although many legitimate businesses have Websites, some are not legitimate. Companies, with good and bad reputations, are in the business of making money and acquiring and keeping customers. They are naturally biased in favor of their own products, so watch out for inflated claims for performance and quality. Companies will not showcase their competitors' products. If you are, for example, comparing products, get impartial reviews, not company information. Many entrepreneurs use "rented" Web space to create their own Web sites to sell their services or products - buyer beware! Can you track the reputation of the company?.net -?network infrastructures..jp?There are other extensions, such as the abbreviation of a country, ie .jp for JapanTypes of websites:Personal Home Pages?- maintained by individuals. They are often informal. Individuals can post their resumes, link to favorite sites, showcase their interests and ideas. Some personal Web sites also serve as professional sites. For example, many professors publish their syllabi, course material and, in some cases, their scholarship, on their personal Web pages. Entrepreneurs often advertise their services on "home" pages.Special interest sites?- maintained by non-profit organizations or activists dealing with special issues, such as environmental concerns, legalization of marijuana, etc. They can be relatively mainstream or radical in interests and vary widely in credibility of information. Special interest sites are, by their nature, biased. When using such sources, your readers should be aware of the source's special interest.Professional sites?- maintained by institutions/organizations, sometimes by individuals. They can include research, reference sources, fact sheets. Many institutions provide such services to the public. The credibility of the institution or professional credential of the individual providing the facts gives clues as to the reliability of the information. Is the site just linking to sources? If so, the credibility of the information is connected to the originating sites.News and Journalistic sites?(E-zines) - which include national, international news, online newspapers, magazines, and "homegrown" Web publications. Anyone can publish his or her own "news," on the Web. What do you know about, or what can you find out about, the reputation of the periodical? Is it an electronic version of a credible print publication? As in print - just because information is published does not necessarily mean it is true. If a periodical article has an ISSN number (International Standard Serial Number), it will probably have more authority ................
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