| |
|
Anyone can
publish anything on the Internet. |
| How do you know
the information you find there is authoritative? Here are some
clues to help evaluate your sources. |
|
Look at the URL |
Generally speaking (but not
always!) pages originating from an educational institution or government
organization tend to be more authoritative. A ".com" means the page is
attached to a for-profit organization, so you must evaluate the source for bias,
expertise and balance.
- .com (commercial)
- .org (organization)
- .net (organization or personal)
- .edu (educational institution)
- gov/mil/us (government or military)
|
|
Who published the page? |
- Does an organization take responsibility
for publishing the material?
- Is there a clear author? What are the
author's credentials?
- Does the author cite his sources?
Are the citations complete, so that a viewer could find and use the
sources?
- Is the site up-to-date? Does it
tell when it was last updated?
|
|
What is the page's
purpose? |
- To sell something?
- To inform?
- To publish opinions?
- To promote a philosophy or issue?
- To disclose information?
- To educate?
-
To share research?
A page may have
accurate information, but be incomplete. Check for spin.
|
|
Who is the page's
intended audience? |
- Consumers?
- Students?
- Fellow group members or peers?
- Researchers?
- Business?
- Constituents?
- The Random Public?
|
|
Is it clear that this
is reliable information, not a parody, satire or humorous piece?
|
| People have taken articles from The
Onion seriously. Satire can be very subtle and parody sites can
look quite similar to the site being lampooned. |
| |
|
Is the information balanced?
Does it address other viewpoints seriously? |
A web site may have
accurate information - but only address one side of an issue.
- Do not rely on a single page for your information
-- look at many sources to gain perspective and depth on your topic.
|
| Check out these sites -
www.snopes.com
www.theonion.com
www.whitehouse.gov
www.whitehouse.org
www.whitehouse.com
www.rythospital.com
|