Web resources can provide up-to-date information quickly and conveniently. However, anyone can publish anything online without verification. Evaluating web resources carefully is important because accuracy is not guaranteed. Key factors to consider include the content, authority and viewpoint of the source, proximity of the source to events, and overall accuracy and timeliness of the information provided.

1. Web Resources Why use web resources? Speed of finding information (sometimes!) Currency: Web information is often more up-to-date Availability: web resources are available to everyone in a wide variety of places, often right at home.

2. Web Resources Web resources are different from library resources No one checks the information on the web. Anyone can put anything on the web. YOU are the one who must decide if the website’s information is accurate, balanced information!

3. Web terminology: Web Resources Website: a group of individual webpages. Domain name: the segments of the web address which are before the first /. gov = government website edu = college or university org = organization (not for profit) com = commercial site, to sell goods, services net = network; rents space to others

4. Web Resources - Evaluation What to look at: 1. Content 2. Authority 3. Viewpoint of source 4. Proximity of the source 5. Accuracy / Timeliness

5. C ontent Web Resources - Evaluation Is the information meaningful and useful to you for the particular project? Can you understand it? Does it help support or refute your thesis statement?

6. Web Resources - Evaluation C ontent Example: This website lists supposed facts about marijuana, but there is no source given for those facts. Information that can’t be traced to a source should not be used for research unless the facts can be verified elsewhere.

7. Authority Web Resources - Evaluation Who publishes (or owns) the website? Do the publishers have an “agenda” or a cause to promote? Are they trying to sell anything? Is the author’s name stated? Is the author a specialist?

8. Web Resources - Evaluation Authority Examples: This website is sponsored by PlanetRx, a drug retailer. The editor of the site is one of the leading health writers in the United States, and there is a doctor on the management staff. The information included here may well be accurate, but we should remember that it may also be biased because the main purpose of the site is to sell pharmaceuticals.

9. Web Resources - Evaluation Authority Examples: This website is sponsored by the Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University. The association is comprised of patients, family of patients, and professionals. It is a non-profit organization. This is a better source of information than the first website .

10. Viewpoint Web Resources - Evaluation Do you find evidence of any sort of bias or slant of the material, either by the webmaster or the publisher? Is the content objective or subjective (fact or fantasy?) Does the website use the first person (“ I ”) or slang? Are there misspellings?

11. Web Resources - Evaluation Viewpoint Examples: This website uses the hammer and sickle (symbol of the communist party) and other images to make it show that they have a definite opinion on the issue of gun control. It is clear right from the beginning that the information found on this website will only show one side of the gun control issue.

12. Immediacy Web Resources - Evaluation Is the website up-to-date? Does the information contain primary source material (i.e., was the author actually involved in the actions he/she is writing about?)

13. Accuracy Web Resources - Evaluation Do you believe the information is accurate? Why do you have reason to believe this?