INTERNET SOURCES

How to find reliable

You will be required to use two internet sources, and no more, for the five required sources in your paper.

Due Friday—a works cited page with two internet sources listed that you want to use for your paper. Also, attach the printouts of information that you plan to use from the sites.

Web vs. print

Webanyone with web access can publishauthor/affiliations and qualifications may

be unclearmay not clearly identify external

informationmay be biased/misleadingpublication info may not be listed

Web vs. Print Print

extensive publication processclearly indicates author/affiliationsclearly marks outside sources/quotationsbias exists, but is reviewedonly qualified manuscripts accepted for

publicationpublication info clearly listed

How to Evaluate Sources

Be skeptical--availability on the Internet does not guarantee reliability. Anyone can post information on the net. Follow these steps to help check the credibility of your sources:

Authority

Does the document have a title? Who are the authors? What type of site is providing the

information? Does the site end in .org, .edu, or .gov?

These are generally considered reliable sources.

Recency

When was the data last updated? A date should be listed. Is it recent? Or is not date listed at all?

Does the info appear to be the most recent or current on the subject?

Accuracy

Does the source adequately define terms for the average reader?

Is background information provided?

Context

Does the document provide references or links to other info that might clarify its content?

Can fact be distinguished from opinion? Are sources accurate and within

context? Is the document simply a personal

opinion or can it be supported with fact?

Conducting a Search Consider:

keywords that apply what kinds of information you needmultiple angles keep notes

Using Search Terms Do multiple searches Try keyword variations

e.g. try “dining hall,” “cafeteria,” and “campus food service”

Be specific as you learn moree.g. change “dining hall” to “Midwest

university dining hall” Boolean Operators: words added to a

search to make it more specific

Defining a Search: Boolean Operators

ANDfinds pages with all of the search terms usede.g. “dining hall” AND “student workers”

ORfinds pages with at least one of the search

termse.g. “dining hall” OR “cafeteria” OR “campus

food service” NOT

excludes pages that include the second term e.g. Henry VII NOT Shakespeare

Defining a Search: Quotation Marks

Return pages with exact matchesenter dining hall

○ Get: “As I was dining, I heard a noise coming from the hall”

enter “dining hall”○ Get: “Dining hall food quality is assessed in

this paper.”

Evaluating Search Results Domain name extensions

anyone can register .com, .net, .org domain names

not a great way to tell whether a source is “credible”

.edu and .gov can only be used by educational institutions and governmental institutions○ still not necessarily reliable

Wikipedia Articles Often one of the first results listed “Web versus Print” slides apply here We will not use as one of our two Internet

sources Can be useful for:

getting an overviewgenerating new ideaspointing to other sources

How to Cite Sources from the Internet Cite what is available; however, if a lot of the required

information is not available for your site that may be a red flag for you concerning the credibility of your source. Examples:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number.

Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or

publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication.

Date of access.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and

Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2008.

Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003.

Web. 10 May 2006.