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Evaluating
Info Sources
Use
the Basic W Questions !!!!!
- Who?
Authorship
What
are the author's credentials, qualifications,
affiliations?
- What?
Accuracy, Verifiability, Attribution
Does
this book, article, or site satisfy your information
need? Can you understand it? Is it the type
of source you need? Can you verify information
in other sources? Do other experts agree? Is
there a bibliography or reference list?
- When?
Currency
What
is the date of publication? Is newer information
available? Do you need the most recent information
on your topic?
- Where?
Publisher
Did
you find the reference to this book, article,
or site in a reliable source? Where was it published?
What is the reputation of the publisher/journal?
What kind of review or editorial process preceded
publication of the source?
- Why? Point
of View/Bias
What
is the author's purpose? Is the source objective
in presenting the information? Can you identify
bias? Are various points represented?
Here's another look
at Evaluating
Sources from Willamette University.
More
on Evaluating Websites
- Is it stable??
Will it be here tomorrow??
Are
there statistics on use or a copyright date??
Did you locate the site through a reliable web
search engine or directory site?? When was the
last update??
- Do all (or
most) of the connections work??
Is
there evidence of hasty development?? When was
it last updated??
- Is the content
accurate and reliable??
Is
it indexed by major directory sites like Yahoo??
Is it a link on other sites?? Is it copyrighted??
Can you verify content through a printed source??
Is the content available in other formats??
- Is there
a statement of responsibility or ownership?
Is
it produced by an organization or person with
the background and credentials to mount the
site?? Is the content free of bias or prejudice??
Is the content reviewed by others?? Does each
page provide basic info??
- Is there
evidence of regular maintenance??
Are
links and info updated on a schedule?? When
was the last update??
- Is it easy
to use?? Are there good navigational aids??
Can
you quickly move from page to page?? Are the
arrows and buttons self-explanatory??
- Is it consistent
in the use of graphics, etc??
Do
you get confused about where you are at the
site??
- Is it fast
and responsive??
Does
it take forever to load the graphics?? BEWARE--this
may not be their fault!!
- Do you need
special tools to use it??
If
so, does the site point to the required software
tools??
Here
are bogus websites. What are your tipoffs?
Feline
Reactions to Bearded Men
DiHydro
Monoxide
Here
are some other websites that deal with evaluation:
Assessing
the Credibility of Online Sources: LEO @
St. Cloud State University
ICYouSee
Guide to Critical Thinking.... Ithaca College
Thinking
Critcally about WWW Resources: UCLA
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