Internet Sources:The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Evaluating Websites

What do you get with a search?

Think about what you need

• Endings like .com, .org., .edu can you trust them?

• How can you narrow your search to make it more efficient.

• What are you using to search: Google, Yahoo, specific site, database?

• How can you find what you need in everything out there?

Websites• CARS (Credibility, Accuracy,

Reasonableness, Support)– Author– Quality Control: Peer review,

sponsoring organization– Timeliness– Comprehensive: Is it one-sided or

shows all perspectives?– Who is the intended audience?– Is it reasonable, is there a conflict

of interest?

Summary of CARSCredibility trustworthy source, author’s credentials,

evidence of quality control, known or respected authority, organizational support. Goal: an authoritative source, a source 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). 

Summary of The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation

   

Website Checklisthttp://www.wildelake.com/research/websitechecklist.htm

Summary of The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation

   

Instead of 54,000,000

Wikipedia – Can you use it?

There is something you can use! Scroll down

You can check these since they were used to support the page, but STILL CHECK THEM!

Click to add text

Click to add text

Click to add text

Click to add text

Examples:Set One: AIDS1.1 Gender and HIV/AIDS 1.2 Quirk of nature or mass murder?1.3 Statistics and surveillanceSet Two Immigration2.1 The Greening of the Anti-Immigrant Agenda 2.2 Immigration fact or fiction?2.3 Illegal Immigration Is a Crime Set Three: Drugs, Hormones & Human Tissue3.1 Human Growth Hormone Stimulation: The Anti-Aging and Longevity Program 3.2 Human Test Subjects 3.3 Human Growth Hormone; Does it slow aging?

Examples

                                                                      

WORKS CITED

BECK, SUSAN E. “EXAMPLES.” THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY: OR, WHY IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO EVALUATE WEB SOURCES. NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY , 27 APR. 2009. WEB. 11 FEB. 2011. <HTTP://LIB.NMSU.EDU/ INSTRUCTION/ EVALEX

PL.HTML>.

HARRIS, ROBERT. “EVALUATING INTERNET RESEARCH SOURCES.” VIRTUAL SALT. N.P., 22

NOV. 2010. WEB. 11 FEB. 2011. <HTTP://WWW.VIRTUALSALT.COM/ EVALU8IT.HTM>.

Resources: