Can you trust_the_web

Can you TRUST the Web? Evaluating what you find

LMS

Do you agree ?

2. . “If I find information on the web, it must be true.”Because no standards exist to publish information on the Web,

careful evaluation is a MUST.

1. “Information on the Web is largely regulated and checked.”

Unlike newspapers, books, and other printed sources, information on the Web is not regulated by any rules or organization.

Information Literacy

Strategies that teach students:

1. How to find information on the Internet, and more importantly

2. How to evaluate the quality of the information they find on the Web.

Four steps to web researchwith

HEALTHY SKEPTICISM

#1. Look at the URL

Who published the page (put it on the web) ?

Type of domain, type of site by domain code

.com., .edu, .net, .gov, .mil

Publisher equivalent usually = “server” or “host”

Between the http:// and the first /

EXAMPLE http://library.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

Spot & watch out for possible personal pages

Is there a ~ or a % in the URL preceding a name ?

http://who.what.edu/~pjones/whatever.html

http://www.cs.unb.ca/%alopez-o/polind.html

All “personal pages” are not unreliable. But look for the author’s credentials and evaluate carefully.

#2 Who wrote the page ?

Try to establish AUTHORITY/CREDIBILITY

Is there a person or organization responsible for the web page?

Who sponsors it?

Look for a name or e-mail link

Does the author have an official title?

Credentials of author?

“About” section, “my philosophy”

Is there a bibliography or reference page?

If the page does not have either a sponsoring organization or a credible author, it may not be a RELIABLE source.

#3 Check the date Establishing Currency!

•Last updated” at bottom

• Look at other pages from this site:

Truncate back the URL to “higher” pages

Not all pages on a site are updated at once

#4 - Objectivity vs. Bias

To inform ?

To give facts or data or schedules ?

To sell, entice ?

Is only one side of the argument presented?

Can you tell fact from opinion?

What is the page’s purpose ? Why was it created ?

Be suspicious of too many opinions or advertisements on a web page.

#5 – What about the Page Content?Establishing ACCURACY

Does the site cover the topic accurately?

Can you understand what is being said?

Does it agree with information you found in books and other sources?

Are the links well chosen? Who else links to the site? (You can perform a link check in Google or AltaVista by entering “link:webaddress” in the search box). Is it linked to reliable sites?

Would you include this site in your bibliography?

Here is a pop quiz for you:

Compare these two statistical sites related to AIDS.

Which one of the two do you think is a reliable resource for research about AIDS? Why?

Exhibit 1 Exhibit 2

If you’re not sure about the authenticity of your source, don’t use it!

The rule of thumb is “When in doubt, doubt”

The Sixties

sites

The Psychedelic Sixties

Counterculture of the Sixties

Teen Violence

sites

Adolescent Violence

Teen Violence

Practice Exercises