*****ROUGH DRAFT***********ROUGH DRAFT***********ROUGH DRAFT***********ROUGH DRAFT***********ROUGH DRAFT***********ROUGH DRAFT***********ROUGH DRAFT******
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Evaluatiing Information:

Evaluating information includes 2 elements
(1) Credibility of the source and
(2) Usefulness of the claim for your purpose.

Evaluating credibility and usefulness of information is a skill developed with experience and knowledge.  We will never become perfect at this task since we can never have enough experience, knowledge, access to information are time to perfect this skill.  We, however, can improve our abilities to do so.  These links provide information and practices to aid in this process.  Keep in mind as you work through these that even these are not perfect or complete! Keep your critical thinking skills processing, enhance those moust relevant to you and add additional criteria where needed.  If something seems very unlikely from what you know, it has a high probability of not being true. If something sounds to good to be true, it probably isn't true. If something sounds too improbable from your knowledge and experience then it probably isn't true.   Does a source and information provided by that source pass the smell test? Last but not least don't completely reject everything that is inconsistent with your ideas, if the evidence is good then at least suspend your judgement but remember it may also be time to change your position.

Hints:
(1) Credibility of the source
The source for information includes the author(s) and the immediate publication or web page.   Both of these hsould be investigated to make definitive answers about credibility

A. The Publication or web page
Evaluate the organization(s): who pays/supports, point of view, target audience-age, gender, political ID...
Purpose: make money, support a cause, educate or inform, etc. Examples [List suggested by Dean DeVrie and David Kosakowski] :
  1. To sell you something. (http://www.telebrands.com)
  2. To sell you something and educate you. (http://www.simmons.com/sleep.info/)
  3. To persuade you (http://www.graham-assn.org)
  4. To persuade you and educate you. (http://www.cancer.org )
  5. To help you in your education. (http://www.csubak.edu )
  6. To inform you of new information. These are usually government World Wide Web pages. (http://thomas.loc.gov)
    7. <>Something I just have to show you. (Individuals home pages) 
Content
  1. Verify the content of source.  Is the content reasonable in terms of what you know?.  Try to verify with other sources (web sites, texts, news, etc.)
  2. Find info about the author of the page and try to determine any bias, the authors qualifications, the suitability of the authors qualifications for the page content. Is this author qualified? Is he/she an expert on this subject (experience, education, publications).
  3. Find info about the organization to which this page or site belongs of the page and try to determine any bias on the part of the organization as well as the suitability of the organization in providing information about this topic. Is this organization appropriate? Is the organization a respected source on this subject (purpose, experience, history  publications).
Way to find out about the Author and publication or web page
Hints on how to check these:
The domain is a good start.  The URL Domain usually indicates the purpose of the owner but not always.

Hints on how to check these:
A Google search: Check the credibility of the author, if named, by performing a search on the author.(Go to the authors home page if there is one)

A Google search: Check the credibility and appropriateness of the organization. Check out the web site where the page is located (Basically, work up the URL you have found and see where this page is located). 

Remember you are trying to determine the "authority" on your topic of theauthor and organization that create and control this site?





From old WebEval.html page
Six reasons for a web page (use this in considering the credibility of a web page):
  1. I want to sell you something. (http://www.telebrands.com)
  2. I want to sell you something and educate you. (http://www.simmons.com/sleep.info/)
  3. I want to persuade you (http://www.graham-assn.org)
  4. I want to persuade you and educate you. (http://www.cancer.org )
  5. I want to help you in your education. (http://www.csubak.edu )
  6. I want to inform you of new information. These are usually government World Wide Web pages. (http://thomas.loc.gov)
  7. I have something I just have to show you. (Individuals home pages) [this list suggested by Dean DeVrie and David Kosakowski]

Hints on how to check these:
The domain is a good start.  The URL Domain usually indicates the purpose of the owner but not always.

Is the title appropriate to the content?
Does the author/organization have anything to gain by presenting this information?
Is there any advertising on the page, does the advertising overshadow the content, could the fact that the web site owner makes money from the advertisements in any way influence the information on the web page?
 
Find good examples and examples of above bias---show section of a web page (non bias/biased examples, advocacy page, complementary copy, etc.
 

Try to determine the organization  to which this site belongs. Try to determine the author of  this page and why?
  • Verify the content of page.  Is the content reasonable in terms of what you know?.  Try to verify with other sources (web sites, texts, news, etc.)
  • Find info about the author of the page and try to determine any bias, the authors qualifications, the suitability of the authors qualifications for the page content. Is this author qualified? Is he/she an expert on this subject (experience, education, publications).
  • Find info about the organization to which this page or site belongs of the page and try to determine any bias on the part of the organization as well as the suitability of the organization in providing information about this topic. Is this organization appropriate? Is the organization a respected source on this subject (purpose, experience, history  publications).

Hints on how to check these:
A Google search: Check the credibility of the author, if named, by performing a search on the author.(Go to the authors home page if there is one)

A Google search: Check the credibility and appropriateness of the organization. Check out the web site where the page is located (Basically, work up the URL you have found and see where this page is located). 

Remember you are trying to determine the "authority" on your topic of theauthor and organization that create and control this site?

Authority. If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net), and, . .
Who is responsible for this information? (Is there an author and/or an organization listed?)
Author

Organization
Is there an organization involved. If yes are they a legitimate organization for this topic (example web site with address, phone etc.) Also check the source of the site and what others say about the site with Google.

How important is currency for your information? If currency is important, are there indicators on the page of when the page was created, revised, published and if it is updated frequently. Does the information contain current information as verified with other sites? Once again use google to cross check. How would you evaluate the presentation of the web site (easy to follow? grammatical? accurate spelling? typos?)  (Method of Acquisition, Accuracy).  These do not always indicate accuracy of the information or even identify when the purpose is to persuade are sell, so be weary.

How was the information obtained (methodology statement? were good research procedures followed? are references listed?...) Are the references quality sources.

Is the information consistent with with known information (common knowledge? common sense? other published sources? experts in the field? are there links to more information on the topic?)


Other sources on web evaluation