Is that website true or false?

1. commercial
Evaluating Web Pages
education
government

2. Web Evaluation
 Train your eye to find what you need to know about a
particular web page.
 Think critically, even suspiciously, by asking a series
of questions that will let you know if the site can be
trusted.
O Look at URL and domain
O Scan the perimeter of page
O Look for indicators of quality
O What do others say?
O Does it all add up?
WEB PAGE EVALUATION CHECKLIST
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/EvalWorksheet.p
df

3. URL & Domain
URL = Uniform Resource Locator
address that defines the route to a file on the Web
or any other Internet facility
Domain = Names that identify the type of
organization operating the Internet
Server.
located after the .dot in URL

4. Examine the URL
Before you click and search
e.g. .http://www.fcps.edu/MarshallHS/
Look for a personal name, e.g. jbarker following a tilde (~), a percent sign
(%), or the words “users,” “members,” or “people.”
What type of domain does it come from?
educational, nonprofit, commercial, government.
Is it published by an entity that makes sense? Who published
the page? [backspace to the end of the domain] e.g.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
l
Is the page dated? What are the author’s credentials on this subject?

5. Identify who is sponsoring
the site: Common Domains
.org = nonprofit organization Advocacy
perhaps trying to influence public opinion or
promote a cause
.edu = educational organization .edu, .org, .gov
provide factual information
.com = commercial (for profit)
perhaps trying to promote a product or service
News: .com provide information about local, regional,
national, or international news
.gov, .mil, .us (or other country code*) = governmental
*“ca” Canada; “.es” Spain; “.uk” Great Britain; “.fr” France; “.de”
Germany
.

6. Other domains
.net = For networks; usually reserved for
organizations such as Internet service
providers
Entertainment: .org, .com …
Museums could have: .org, edu, .gov
Personal: .com, .edu
fulfill a variety of reasons for an individual
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-
level_domains

7. WhoIs
Who is responsible for creating and
administering and managing the content of
the site:
O URL
http://www.networksolutions.com/who
is/index.jsp

8. Questions
O Why was the page put on the web?
O Inform, persuade, sell, share, disclose?
O Might it be ironic, satire, malicious, or a
parody?
O Tone of page, exaggerated, outrageous,
overblown, arguing a viewpoint with examples
that suggest what is argued is not possible?
O Is the page presenting biased
information? Misinformation?
Propaganda?

9. Web Hoaxes, Scams,
Misinformation, and Hate sites
O Watch for statements that go against
common sense.
O Check for words that are made up or
nonsensical.
O Watch for images that look like they’ve
been altered.
O Look for exaggeration in the text.
O Watch for sites that look official, but
are not.

10. Web Hoaxes, Scams,
Misinformation, and Hate sites
Always check credible, reliable, and
objective sources for health and medical
advice and information. E.g. check with
your doctor, medical (peer reviewed)
journals.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention www.cdc.gov
QuackWatch
http://www.quackwatch.org/wgsearch.html

11. Don’t forward that email
Watch for Urban Legends
O http://www.snopes.com/

12. Allegedly
O Best Buy is distributing free $1,000 gift cards to users who
click an online link.
O Halloween 2012 has been designated “national Kill a Pitbull
Day”
O The Make-a-Wish Foundation will donate 7 cents per e-mail
towards the care of 21-year-old Bryan Warner, who is dying
of lung cancer and a brain tumor.
O A tooth left in a glass of Coca-Cola will dissolve overnight.
O Accounts warn of death and disease caused by rat urine on
soda cans.
O Michael Jackson’s phone number was contained in the
Universal Product Code (UPC) number used on the
“Thriller” album cover.

13. AND

14. Plagiarism:
How to Avoid It

15. Citations:
How to Make Sense of It
O OWL Purdue Online
Writing Lab
Keep it consistent

16. EZ PZ
O The Landmarks Citation Machine
makes citing your sources easy. No
reason not to cite.

17. Why Take Notes?
I’ll Remember That
Cornell Note-Taking
could help you

18. I Saved the Best for Last
O George C. Marshall High School
Library Media Center website