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Website Evaluation

Why should you evaluate websites?

Anyone with a computer and internet can put up a webpage. You do not know who they are, or if they are qualified to talk about the subject you are researching. Most info on the web is unmonitored and unregulated which means there is no quality control. Before you use a website, look to see who is sponsoring the page. If you can't figure out who has produced it, don't use it.
Accuracy
  • Almost anyone can publish on the World Wide Web.
  • Editors and “fact checkers" are not always used to verify site information.
  • Links are not necessarily as reliable as the information on the original web page.
  • Accuracy is not ensured since web standards are not fully developed.
Authorship
  • Not always possible to determine author of a website.
  • Even when an author is listed, qualifications may not be provided.
Lack of Objectivity
  • The author’s perspective is not known and this can lead to information that is skewed and not necessarily accurate.

Website Evaluation Resources

There are lots of acronyms out there to help make this process easier to remember here are a few:

RADCAB (Relevancy, Appropriateness, Detail, Currency, Authority, Bias) Evaluation Rubric

5 Criteria for Website Evaluation (Cornell Univ) (Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency & Coverage)

Summary of The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation
 
Credibility
trustworthy source, author’s credentials, evidence of quality control, known or respected authority, organizational support. 

Goal: an authoritative source, one that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.
 
Accuracy
up to date, factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect intentions of completeness and accuracy. 

Goal: a source that is correct today (not yesterday), a source that gives the whole truth.

Reasonableness
fair, balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies or slanted tone. 

Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably, concerned with the truth.

Support
listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation supplied. 

Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for the claims made, a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources that support it).

Web Hoaxes

With millions of new websites appearing daily throughout the Internet, it is difficult to decipher which ones are credible. You must carefully evaluate the sites to avoid inaccuracy in your research and reports. Check these sources for tips and help in identifying hoaxes on the Internet.
  • www.museumofhoaxes.com
  • www.otterbein.edu/resources/library/libpages/subeval.htm

Can You Spot a Hoax?

Here are some fake websites along with some "real" ones. For some it's easy to see they are fake. On others, it ma be hard to tell.

Medline Plus

CNN
Buy an Ancestor Online
Dog Beach
Aids Facts
British Stick Insects
Aluminum Deflector Beanies
The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency
Ban DHMO
California's velcro challenge
Historic Killer Tornado
Google Job Opportunities
History of Fischer Price Airlines
Save the Nortwest Tree Octopus
Mankato, MN your vacation destination
Moonbeam Travel Enterprises
Dog Island
Pets or Food
Bonsai Kitten
Google's PigeonRank Technology
Square Watermelons
The Jackalope Conspiracy

Black and White Twins
Male Pregnancy
The Ova Prima Foundation
Institute for Historical Review (blocked on campus)
MartinLutherKing.org (blocked on campus)
Handouts
tips_tricks_85x11.pdf
File Size: 219 kb
File Type: pdf
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webeval_worksheet_rev09_a.doc
File Size: 31 kb
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webeval_worksheet_rev09_b.doc
File Size: 32 kb
File Type: doc
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webeval_worksheet_rev09_c.doc
File Size: 32 kb
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