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Internet 101/102: Untangling the Web

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IV. Why should I evaluate?

See if you can answer each of the BOLDED questions below (using the questions in parentheses to help guide you.) Then rate your comfort level with the answers you find. (Or don't find?)

1. Who is the author? (What credentials does the author/sponsor have? If an individual author is not named, is there a link to a "home page" to see who is sponsoring the page?)

Article A __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

Article B __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

Article C __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

2. What date was the information posted and/or updated? (Is your topic time-sensitive so that you can only use the most updated information or is your topic more historically oriented?)

A __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

B __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

C __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

3. Are there any special features such as a "works cited" to back up the information?(Are there links to other pages? If yes, what kind of pages are they? Do these pages supplement the information given?)

A __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

B __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

C __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

4. What is the overall purpose and tone? (Who is the intended audience? Check the domain name for clues (.edu, .org, .com, .mil, .net) to determine what type of page this might be. Is there an "about" or "what is" link from either the information page or the "home page" that outlines the purpose of the pages?)

A __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

B __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

C __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

5. What type of actual content are you getting? (To what depth does the web site/page cover the topic? Does it seem to be a "surface" treatment? Can you really get a background overview, thorough coverage or an in-depth analysis of specific aspects for your topic?)

A __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

B __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

C __________________________________________________________________________________________________

rating: very comfortable - 4pts | somewhat comfortable - 3pts | somewhat uncomfortable - 2pts | very uncomfortable - 1pt

6. Add up the points for each site to determine which site you would feel most comfortable using for academic research:

Article A. ____________ pts

Article B. ____________ pts

Article C. ____________ pts