Page 264 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)
P. 264

How do you use this information to begin determining the credibility of a site? Doing this is not an exact
science, given that it is possible to fraudulently register a domain name, or for a commercial site to use a
domain name extension other than “.com”. But while you can’t absolutely determine site credibility, you
can narrow down sites that are obviously problematic. Here are a few examples:

Probably OK            BEWARE
http://www.amazon.com  http://www.johndoe.com/amazon
http://www.nasa.gov    http://www.nasa.com
http://www.cnn.com     http://www.cnn.aw/~maryspage

Beyond carefully examining the URL for a web site, there are some other things you should check for when
visiting an online site. Some of these can be checked quickly and easily:

    Is there a physical address and phone number listed for the site sponsor? (This tells you whether or not
    the sponsor can be held accountable, legally, for what appears on the site.)

    Are there obvious spelling or grammar errors on the site? (This gives you a quick read as to the
    professionalism of the site. Though it is not 100% accurate, and even the most credible sites occasionally
    include errors of this type, for each error you notice, the chances are that much more likely that the site
    is not credible. This is also a good way to tell if you’re viewing spam or a site that is part of a phishing
    scam. Bank of America® knows how to spell “account” and will never ask you for your “informations.”)

Even if a site passes the URL test, it’s best to have an evaluation strategy for the sources you do find. This
is especially true as you begin your college research assignments. As you continue on in college, much of
this will become second nature. The same is true for documentation, which we will address shortly. The
list that follows reflects years of teaching research methods, input from Virginia Bryan, of Madison Area
Technical College, and evaluation lists from both Ithaca College and Widener University.

As you are reading over your Internet sources, ask yourself the following questions:
    • Is the author of this source an authority on the subject? How do you know? What qualifications,
         education, or experience does this person have? In other words, is the author credible?

    • If this source is part of a web site, what is the organization that runs the site? If this is a .com site,
         how is the site making a profit? Does the site give contact information?

    • How detailed and accurate is your source? If research is included, has the author documented it
         and/or given a list of outside sources?

    • How up-to-date is your source? Reputable sources should have various dates: the date the article
         or page was written, the date it was placed on the web, and the date it was last revised.

    • How objective is this source? Does the author or the organization funding the site have a clear bias
         on the topic? Or is there a balanced view of the topic?

    • Is the source scholarly or popular? Notice the details: grammar, spelling, site organization and
         design. They can tell you a great deal about the reliability of the article or the site.

A popular old saying was that you couldn’t believe everything you read in the newspapers. You definitely
can’t believe everything you read on the Internet, either. Virtually anyone can post anything to cyberspace.

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