Validate the Authority

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Understanding Search Topic:

Pair share brainstorm ideas:

How do you decide ifsomething is true?

discussion

Understanding Search Topic:

Credibility = trustworthiness + expertise

Understanding Search Topic:

Tips• Get multiple answers.• Always check your

answers.

What is the diameter of the earth?

Assessing Credibility 

Understanding Search Topic:

TipGet multiple answers.

Practice

Search with obvious terms:  [ diameter of the earth ] But Get multiple answers by looking at different sites. 

Depending on which one you choose, you’ll get somewhat different answers!  • Site #1:  7,926.41 miles • Site #2:  12,756 km • Site #3:  12,756.3 km • Site #4:  7,900 miles 

What are some possible reasons for the differences? 

Understanding Search Topic:

Assessing Credibility 

How do you judge the credibility ofa web page?

Strategies to determine trustworthy and expertise: 

• The URL (Is it from a place you’ve heard of before?)

• Type of page (Is it someone’s personal page? e.g., Geocities, aol.com)

• Type of domain (.eduis more believable than many others) 

• Where (Is it hosted in another country?  e.g., .ru.cn.izetc.) 

• Check the “About” section. (Is the web page affiliated with a place you’ve heard?)

• Is there a date and author?• Look up the author in Google (usually need to use double quotes)

• Why was the page put on the web? (to inform?, to convince? who's point of view?)

* Tips by Daniel M. Russell, Google Search Quality Team

Understanding Search Topic:

TipAlways check your answers

How can you tell if something is credible?Believe it or not

Use Google search to complete the following test on one or more of your search results pages about the diameter of the earth:

Check links pointing TO the page: use: [ link: <URL> ], e.g [ link:www.ufos-alien.uk ] 

Check the page and site on Alexa.com use:  www.alexa.com – look on the “Site overview” and “Traffic” 

Check links pointing OUT from the page: • use: www.linkvendor.com/seo-tools/outbound-links.html 

Understanding Search Topic:

Did NASA fake the moon landing?Conduct the search below (use those exact terms): 

Practice

Understanding Search Topic:

Did NASA fake the moon landing?

Click on first result: www.ufos-aliens.co.uk/cosmicapollo.html 

Prove your answer!

Understanding Search Topic:

If you know something about the authors is it more believeable?

Name recognition is important to assessing credibility

Understanding Search Topic:

Believe it or Nota student team challenge

Create a search challenge to prove!

• Begin by brainstorming a list of common hoax• Challenge an opposting team to prove or

disprove• Use as many strategies possible in your proof

Good luck!

Understanding Search Topic:

This lesson was developed by the following Google Certified Teachers:Cheryl DavisKathleen FerenzLucy Gray

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