By amy woodworth

With adaptations from erin Herberg’s “Evaluating web sites by type”

Evaluating Web Sources

We are not looking for sources to support a pre-determined thesis.

We want our theses to grow out of the research itself after learning as much as we can and listening to

different points of view.

Research as Inquiry

• Writers understand that there are different types of information and different ways to interpret information.

• Writers decide what information is needed based on audience, purpose, and context.

• Writers know how to find information effectively and how to evaluate its quality.

• Writers know how to incorporate information into their writing.

Core Value 4: Information Literacy

Medium of Delivery

The medium is no guarantee of anything—there is a variety of types of books, web sites, blogs, documentary/non-fiction films, etc.

Therefore, we need to examine the authors, editors, and content to decide what to use and how.

Evaluating Web Sites

Web sites can be troublesome when it comes to evaluation since they cover such a broad spectrum of content and purpose.

A critical rhetorical approach applies to all information and using that approach for web sites is especially useful—particularly when purpose drives that approach.

Using this approach to separate the vehicle of delivery (a web site) from the purpose of the web site leads to a clearer evaluations of the quality of information we encounter on stand-alone web sites.

Defining Web Sitesby Rhetorical Purpose

If we think about purpose, we can begin to categorize web sites for analysis. The list below is a place to start.

News Sites (can include reporting and editorial/opinions) Advocacy Sites (usually end in .org) Informational Sites (includes educational and scholarly

sites, such as online academic journals, and government sites)

Business Sites Entertainment Sites Personal (includes blogs and social media accounts)

Note: a single site can contain more than one purpose.

Need factual informationNeed factual information Need points of viewNeed points of view

News sites—the articles

Scholarly sites (primarily based on author and/or editorial board)

Informational sites (such as government sites for statistics or archives)

Advocacy sitesNews sites--

editorials, op-ed pieces (opinion pieces)

Scholarly sites (an author can represent a school of thought or perspective)

Think about YOUR purpose:

PrimaryPrimary SecondarySecondary

First-hand gathering of info (interviews, surveys, etc. that YOU conduct yourself)

Original documents, creative works, and artifacts

Other people’s analyses, studies, reports

Primary vs. Secondary

Sometimes we intentionally use “crappy” primary sources.

primary source/non-experts

Credibility

Can you identify the person or group responsible for the site?

Individual author—is s/he an expert? What is his/her reputation?

Publication—is there an editorial board that provides authority? Does the publication have a reputation for quality?

Note: While a belligerent tone is generally not a good sign, an author aiming to sound fair shouldn’t be trusted just based on that tone—look them up.

Hitler.org

Go to…

Quality

Accurate/reliable—can be hard tell if you are new to a topic; good place to start is to consider sources used

Appropriate level of depthSources are credited/cited; could follow upCurrent enough for your purposeGenerally free of errors and typos

Angle of Vision and Bias

If an angle of vision is clearly there, you need to decide if it matters; you may even WANT it if your purpose is to seek different points of view.

If no angle of vision is obvious, Google the author or site so that you are informed of potential bias.

Note that almost all sources are biased in the sense that for everything that IS included (facts, testimonies, etc.), other things are excluded. Even deciding something is worth writing about is a form of bias.

What to Look for on Every Web Site

Last updated date An “About” link (website responsibility) and/or mission

statement Contact information (with real names and a physical address) Functioning links Competent design

1) There is no magic formula. Need to consider and weigh all relevant criteria for evaluation.

2) A good basic question to ask is “what makes this source special? Why would it be superior to another similar source?”

3) Always think about how the source will reflect on you. Would it suggest to a reader that you are being picky and careful?

Remember:

Sites to Practice Evaluation:

For more practice, take a look at these two sites. Which seems more credible as a source for facts or fact-checking? Which would reflect better on you?

Justfacts.comFactcheck.org