Plagiarism & Web Site Evaluation: Web Site Evaluation

Cartoon from  http://xkcd.com/386/

Think everything on the Internet is true  Think again!  This website will show you why it is important to evaluate everything you read on the Internet.

All About Explorers

The quality of your research project is related to the quality of the sources you use.  As one professor put it, "garbage in, garbage out."  Applying the C.R.A.A.P. test is one way to evaluate the quality and value of a source  (book, article, website, etc.) before you start writing.  Ask yourself these questions to determine if the source is the one you should use....

1. Currency

The Timeliness of the Information

             1. Publication or revision dates are not always provided.

                2, If a date is provided, it may have various meanings.  For example,

                            It may indicate when the material was first written

                            It may indicate when the material was first placed on the Web.

                            It may indicate when the material was last revised.

     Is the page dated?  That is, can you locate a date when the resource was written/created/updated? Why might the date matter for your topic? 

     If so, when was the last update?  Based on your topic, is this current enough for your topic, or will older sources work as well?

     How current are the links? Have some expired or moved? 

II. Relevance

The importance of the information for your needs.

• 1. Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
  2. Who is the intended audience?
  3. Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e., not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
  4. Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is the one you will use?
  5. Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

III. Authority

Cartoon by Peter Steiner  reproduced from page 61 of July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker, (Vol.69 (LXIX) no. 20)only for academic discussion, evaluation, research and complies with the copyright law of the United States as defined and stipulated under Title 17 U. S. Code.

The source of the information

• 1. Anyone can publish anything on the web.
  2. It is often hard to determine a web page's authorship.
  3. Even if a page is signed, qualifications are not usually provided.
  4. Sponsorship is not always indicated.

Can you determine who the author/creator/publisher/source/sponsor is?  Is the page signed?
Is the author qualified to write on the topic? An expert?  (What are their credentials or organizational affiliations?)
Who is the sponsor?
Is the sponsor of the page reputable? How reputable?
Is there a link to information about the author or the sponsor?
If the page includes neither a signature nor indicates a sponsor, is there any other way to determine its origin?

          Look for a header or footer showing affiliation.

          Look at the URL  http://www.fbi.gov

          Look at the domain.  .edu, .com, .ac.uk, .org, .net

IV. Accuracy  

The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content

• 1. Frequently the goals of the sponsors/authors are not clearly stated.
  2. Often the Web serves as a virtual "Hyde Park Corner", a soapbox
  3. Unlike traditional print resources, web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers.
  4. Currently, no web standards exist to ensure accuracy.

Does the information show a minimum of bias?
Is the page designed to sway opinion?
Is there any advertising on the page

Is the information reliable and error-free?

Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?

Does the creator provide citations & references for quotations and data?

V. Purpose/Point of View

The reason the information exists

  What is the intent of the article/site (to persuade you, to sell something, to entertain you etc.)?

          What is the publisher's interest (if any) in the information?  Are their intentions or purpose clear?         

          For web resources, what is the domain (.edu, .com, etc.)?  How might that influence the purpose/point of view?

          Is there any advertising on the page?  If so, how do these ads relate to the topic being covered?  (e.g., an ad for ammunition next to an article about firearm legislation)?

          Is the author presenting fact or opinion or propaganda?

           Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

 

 

Stephen Colbert on Truthiness -

"Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don't mean the argument over who came up with the word…

It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty."

Do you love to use Wikipedia for all your assignments?  This site will tell you why it probably isn't the best source for your research projects.

What Wikipedia is and How It Works 

 

Wikipedia Makes No Guarantee of Validity

 

Wikipedia: Ten Things You May Not Know about Wikipedia

Boolify is a great tool to help understand how to use three simple words: AND, OR, and NOT to narrow your search so that you get the correct answers.  Give it a try and see if you can narrow your search so that you get 100 or fewer results.

Boolify