Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Why is it important?
Objectivity
Timeliness Scope
Authority
Is there an author or sponsoring organization? What are their qualifications? Are they wellknown and reputable? Is there a link to information about the author or sponsor? What is the websites extension? .com (for profit) .edu (school) .org (nonprofit) .gov (government) .html (look for personal name, ~ or %)
Examples of Authority
Good
http://www.ci.mankato.mn.us/
Not So Good
http://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/mankato.h tml
Accuracy
Is the information reliable and error-free, including grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors? Is there an editor or someone who verifies the information? Is there a bibliography or other resource links clearly listed so the information can be verified in another source?
Examples of Accuracy
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
Objectivity
Purpose
Advertising
Is the information free of advertising? If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?
Bias
Is the point of view balanced? Is the information based on fact? Opinion? Prejudice?
Examples of Objectivity
Good or Not So Good?
http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/
Timeliness
Is the page dated? If so, when was the last update? Have the links been kept current?
Examples of Timeliness
Good
http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers _math/artificial_intelligence/
Scope
Relevant
Is the content relevant to my topic? Is the information useful? How does the website compare in content to similar websites?
Compare
Examples of Scope
http://espn.go.com/ http://www.skysports.com/
Always try to return to the home page to determine the source of the information Your search may return information about the Titanic from a survivors grandson, not an historian Searching Martin Luther King will bring up streets, parks, etc., not just information about the man
Try to determine if the advertising and information both come from the same person / organization. If it is, ask Can I trust this information? Are they just trying to sell me something like on an Infomercial?
Document source to the fullest extent possible Write down the link and the sponsoring organizationknow where the information came from so you can find it again if asked
Attempt to verify information using other sources Dont forget about books and print media