Slide 2 Evaluating Internet Resources: Fact Checking Slide 3
AccuracyAuthorityObjectivityCurrencyCoverage Things to Consider
Slide 4 Accuracy of Web Documents Ask yourself: Who wrote the page
and can you contact the author? Slide 5 Ask yourself: Who published
the document and is it separate from the "Webmaster?" What are the
Authors credentials? Authority of Web Documents Slide 6 .com = a
commercial organization Ex: www.sony.com.edu = an educational
institution Ex: www.gmu.edu.gov = a government organization Ex:
www.whitehouse.gov.mil = a military organization Ex:
www.navy.mil.org = a non-profit organization Ex: www.redcross.org
Check the domain of the document. What institution publishes this
document? Au t hority of Web Documents Slide 7 Objectivity of Web
Documents Ask yourself: What goals/objectives does this page meet?
How detailed is the information? What opinions (if any) are
expressed by the author? Slide 8 Currency of Web Documents Ask
yourself: When was it produced? When was it updated? How up-to-date
are the links (if any)? Slide 9 Coverage of the Web Documents Ask
yourself: Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they complement
the documents theme? Is the webpage all images or a balance of text
and images? Does the author cite his sources? Slide 10 Putting it
all together Accuracy - If your page lists the author and
institution that published the page and provides a way of
contacting them and... Authority - If your page lists the authors
credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu,.gov,.org,.net),
and... Slide 11 Objectivity - If your page provides accurate
information with limited advertising and it is objective in
presenting the information, and... Currency - If your page is
current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links
(if any) are also up-to-date, and... Coverage - If the links are
evaluated, the content is balanced, and the source is cited...
then... Slide 12 You may have a Web page that could be of value to
your research! FROM: Kapoun, Jim. "Teaching undergrads WEB
evaluation: A guide for library instruction." C&RL News
(July/August 1998): 522-523.
