Evaluating & Citing Websites

LIBR 250, Section1Winter 2013 / Terrones

Learning outcomes:• Determine if the information discovered is relevant

for the needs of the assignment.• Identify prejudice, bias, deception, or manipulation.• Cite correctly (APA) online sources.• Choose key concepts or terms appropriate to search.• Examine and compare information found in

websites, and evaluate for reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, scope, and timeliness.

Let’s Compare

The New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/

The Onionhttp://www.theonion.com/

Fun fact: Reputable Chinese newspaper duped by The Onion.

Authority (author)

Is the author known? Do you recognize this author or their work?Who created this information and why?What knowledge or skills do they have in the area?

Objectivity

Is the information biased, i.e. only shows one perspective. Is the information balanced (shows both sides)?How can you tell it shows bias? How does the sponsorship impact the perspective of the information?Could the information obviously bogus (fake, humorous, a parody, or satire)?

Timeliness

Is the information current? Does the page provide information about timeliness such as specific dates of information?Does currency of information matter with your particular topic?How current are the sources or links?

Relevance

Is the information helpful? Think about whether you need this information.Do the facts contribute something new or add to your knowledge of the subject?Will this information be useful to your project?

Practice

Work with your team to compare and evaluate the following websites based on the "Evaluating Criterion"

listed in the Website Evaluating worksheet.

http://calstatela.libguides.com/terrones_libr250

Citation Elements (4 Ws)

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of document. Retrieved from http://Web address

Webpages with authors tutorialWebpages without authors tutorialWebpages with no author, no date tutorial

Website citations will include:

• Author(s) of document (person or organization)• Year of publication in parenthesis. No date? use

(n.d.)• Title in Italics• Retrieval date only if info changes frequently

(e.g. wiki pages)• Identify the publisher/organization • Web address URL

URL

Title

Author/Organization/Publisher

Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. (2012). America’s children in brief:

Key national indicators of well-being, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.childstats.gov/

americaschildren/

URL

Title

Author/Organization/Publisher

The statistics provided by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics are a great resource to share with parents as well as family service providers because of its “nontechnical, easy-to-use format” (America’s Children, 2012, Introduction section, para. 1).

Citation Resources

• OWL Purdue APA Formatting Guidehttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

OWL Purdue APA Formatting Guide: Electronic Resources

• APA In-text citation PowerPoint (Schaeffer, 2012)

• APA Reference page PowerPoint (Schaeffer, 2012)