LibGuides: Website Evaulation and Annotated Citations: Day #1

How do you know a website is reliable?

Evaluating a Website

How can you tell that a web site you would like to use for your research is reliable? Because of the open nature of web publishing (most anyone can post information to a web site and make it look professional) it is especially important that you understand how to evaluate a website for credibility before citing it in your research. Answering the following questions about a website provides one with the necessary information to make a determination about the accuracy and validity of the information retrieved.

The Four W's of Website Evaluation

Who?

Who created this website?

A Person? An Organization?

What does the URL (Web address) say about the creator of the web site?

.gov (Government Agency), .edu (College or university) .mil (U.S. military)

.org, .net, .com (no restrictions, these domains can be purchased by anyone)

~ (A "tilde" in a URL means this is a personal website)

Look for links to the author/sponsor

"About Me", "Home", "Background", "Bio"

If you can't find the home page, try deleting part of the URL.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/wolf/

Conduct a link search to see if other reputable sources link to the website.

Use the link operator by typing link:URL

link:www.animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/wolf/

Why?

Why was this website created?

Inform? (fact or opinion?)

Persuade? (other viewpoints?)

Entertain?

Sell a product or service?

What?

What information does the website provide?

Does the information appear to be accurate?

Are there sources or support for the information?

Is the information free of bias?

Is the website well-organized and easy to read?

When?

When was the information published?

Is the information up-to-date?

Does the information on your topic need to be current?

Website Evaluation #1

Website Evaluation

1. Go to Google and enter the search words: stem cell research.

2. Look for the website titled: NIH Stem Cell Information Home Page

3. Is this a reliable website? Use the worksheet to determine if the website is credible:

Website Evaluation #2

Website Evaluation

1. Go to Google and enter the search words: stem cell research.

2. Look for the website titled: Stem Cell Research Facts

3. Is this a reliable website? Use the worksheet to determine if the website is credible:

Create a Citation for the NIH Website

1. Create a new Google Doc.

2. Create a citation for the NIH (National Institutes of Health) website we looked at by using the free citation maker Knightcite.

3. Copy and paste the citation into your Google Doc.

4. Add a 3-4 sentence annotation for your source.

5. If necessary, re-order the citation so that they are alphabetized.

Citing a Page of a Website

The following is information on how to cite a page from a website that was found online (CIA World Factbook, BBC Country Profiles, etc.). This information is taken from Owl at Purdue:

A Page on a Web Site

For an individual page on a Web site, list the author or alias if known, followed by the information covered above for entire Web sites. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.

"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.