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Why evaluate a web site? Because not all
information found on the web is equally valid and your
instructor knows it! They expect you to use information that
is accurate and based on facts or informed opinion. Not
using authoritative sources will
seriously affect your grade.
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Getting Started
This page assumes you know how to effectively search the
web and just need help in determining whether a page is of
value to you as a researcher. If you are not comfortable
with searching the wild, wild, web or want to learn how to
more effectively find material on the internet check the
Search Strategy section or contact one
of the CSUSM librarians. We
teach effective internet search techniques in library use
instruction to classes and individuals.
There are a few, but essential techniques, in evaluating
an internet resource.
Know how to read an URL (the web page's address.) These
seemingly endless strings of characters can
tell you a lot about the source agency for the page and
provide information valuable in deciding whether your find
is trustworthy or not. You will find
the URL in a box near the top of the screen.
For example: The URL for this page on web site evaluation
is: http://library.csusm.edu/subject_guides/research_tips/webeval.asp
Start by reading the URL in pieces separated by the
forward slashes ( /).
The first part
http://library.csusm.edu tells you that the host
server is the library server at California State
University San Marcos. Even if you didn't know what 'csusm'
stands for, you can tell it is an academic institution
from the .edu portion of the server. .Edu belongs to
higher education organizations such as colleges and
universities. That 3-letter code can tell you a lot,
such as .biz for business, .com for retail, and .gov for
US government agencies.
The second part 'subject_guides' tells you that the page you are
looking at is in this folder and there
could be more folders and pages within 'subject_guides'.
The third part 'research_tips' tells you there is a folder
within the 'subject_guides' folder...this can go on for several
levels and folder and file names can be very lengthy.
The final piece of the address for this page is
webeval.asp and is this page's
name. There might be an extension (.doc, .pdf, .asp, .htm,
etc. that describes how the page was created, but not
always.) Some
extensions will require special programs to read, such
as PDF files need Adobe Reader and DOC files need some
sort of word processing software.
Warning! If you see a tilde (~) in a website address, that
generally denotes a personal page and is generally an
unauthorized page held on the host site. This means the content
could be created independently of the host site and not
subject to the same guidelines for validity as other
pages on the site.
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Search
Strategy To eliminate some lower quality sites from your search,
construct a quality search strategy. No search will
eliminate all possible bad or misleading sites, but will
screen out a lot of them. You do not have time or should want to wade
through 184,304 sites with bogus or useless information to
find one good site.
- Use appropriate language for the discipline.
- Spell correctly, remember the computer will not know
that you meant 'tree' and not 'free'.
- Avoid sites that end in .com and .net as they are
less scholarly or professional.
- Know something about the topic as knowledge is the
best defense against bad information (ask the librarian
for help.)
- Use the ADVANCED or EXPERT SEARCH function available
to limit your search to selected domains:
- .edu limits
the search to academic university servers
- .org limits
to many association sites (Red Cross or professional
associations are some examples)
- .gov limits
to US Federal government sites (note that military
servers use the .mil domain and some
quasi-government sites like the Postal Service uses
.com or .org in their addresses.)
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Rate Your Site
When looking at
a web page, check the
following features. Not all sites will get all 'good', but
you certainly want a high majority of good ratings and be
able to recognize the weaknesses.
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What am I looking for? |
Ask Yourself |
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Bias |
Is there any evidence of prejudiced
language, stereotypes or uniformed assumptions?
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Good:
Some bias is normal, but you need to
recognize it and account for it in analyzing the
information. Bad: Extreme
bias is not acceptable and more balanced
sites should be available. |
| Authority |
Who has written or authorized the
content of this site? |
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Good:
The author's qualifications are listed on the
site and can be checked (searches on their
publications, what organization they are affiliated
with, etc.) Bad: If you can't determine who wrote the page and
what their qualifications are, don't use the site!
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| Language |
Is the jargon and writing
appropriate for my topic and assumed knowledge of
the reader? |
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Good:
You want
materials written at a level for at least the
informed layman and better yet, scholars in the
discipline. Bad:
Material written for or by a younger student is not
appropriate for university-level research.
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| Corroboration |
Does my other research agree with
the findings in this page? |
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Good:
If various experts agree on interpretation or study results,
you have solid information to use in your research.
Bad: Opposing opinions
and interpretations exist, but if
all your other research points to a different
conclusion, don't rely on this page as your main
research source. You may wish to include it in your
literature review as an example of a contrasting
interpretation.
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| Bibliography |
Is a list of resources for this
content provided? |
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Good:
This is useful in seeing what resources were
used to support the writing of the page and does
some of your research work for you. Bad:
Newer information could be available elsewhere, be
sure to look for more current resources.
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| Currency |
How old is the information the page
is based on? |
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Good:
Since loading pages on the internet is so
fast, publication lags traditional in scholarly
publishing are bypassed.
Bad: Most
pages on the web do not go through the peer-review
process and therefore are not edited for quality of
content or research validity. That review is up to
you!
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| Links |
Are there links to other pages on
this topic, are they working? |
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Good:
Links to other sites shows the authors are part
of the larger 'community of discourse' on the
subject, as well a providing help to you in your
research. Bad:
Broken links or links to pages that have changed
content show dated work that may not be valid. No
links to other sites can be a sign of poor research.
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| Date |
When was this published on the web,
when was it last revised. |
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Good:
This is as important as how current the
resources used for the author's research. Bad:
No date leaves you wondering how old the information
is and whether it is still valid.
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| Contact |
Is there a way to contact the
pagemaster or author with questions or corrections?
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Good:
A contact person demonstrates responsibility
for content maintenance rather than just throwing
something out and never maintaining the content or
links.
Bad: If you can't tell who wrote or is responsible
for maintaining the information, be cautious.
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| Fact Check |
Can I check any statements of fact
against other resources? |
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Good:
Try to get the source of the facts to check the
interpretation of the information. Bad:
Facts can be used in a selective manner to support a
weak or false argument. Checking facts against any
statements made is important.
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| Purpose |
Why is this information available?
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Good:
Is the site's intent to inform (as in a
government or educational site) or to benefit
others? Bad: Is the site up to sell, persuade,
entertain? Is the intent malicious (to spread false
information) or for publicity
for someone's views.
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| Host Server |
Who is going to the expense and
trouble to provide access to this site? |
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Good:
If the page content supports the purpose of
the host institution, you should be able to consider
the page approved by the host unless there is a
disclaimer stating otherwise. Follow-up question: Who
is the host organization and what is their purpose?
Bad: If the
host server's purpose has nothing to do with the
content of the page you are viewing, why is it
there? Is the space for personal purpose (the url
will commonly have ~ or the words 'people' or
'members' in the address)?
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| Need |
Does this really meet my research
needs? |
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Good:
A good 'fit' between your thesis and the information
on the page is important. Your thesis may adjust to
information you find during your research, but
should still fit into your overall research
findings.
Bad: Be honest. If you aren't comfortable
with or have to struggle to see how
this page works with your research topic or thesis,
that will show in your work.
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Primary Sources
A primary source is a document or artifact that reflects
the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer of an
actual historical event. They include diaries,
letters, manuscripts, books, interviews, and commentary published at the
time of the event. These are valuable tools in verifying the
validity of information on another site. Many internet sites exist
providing access to a mix of primary and secondary sources.
The Primary Sources
page (part of the
CSUSM History Subject Guide page) can help you learn
more about primary sources and how to find them.
Be a suspicious
consumer! There will be sites that claim to be primary
source material, but are not. An example is the Magna Carta, the agreement signed
in 1215 between King John and the English
Barons. There are a number of sites claiming
to provide the text of the document, but neglect to mention
that the original Magna Carta has not existed for years.
Compare the text between sites and you will find differences
in wording as some have been modernized. A history
researcher would not accept any of these sites as primary
sources.
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Need More?
The CSUSM Librarians are here to help. Please visit
our discipline
web page for the appropriate librarian to help you
with your research both on and off the internet.
A frequent question is "How do I cite my internet
research?" Here are some places to check:
- Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic
Information by Li and Crane (CSUSM call number: PN171 .F56
L5 1996)
- CSUSM Research Help Desk has a variety of citation
handbooks in the Ready Reference area, just ask for
help!
- APA offers a page on citing
electronic resources.
-
Bedford/St. Martins' site offers help on electronic
resource citations for APA, MLA, CBE, and Chicago,.
- Diana Hacker's guides to
Research
and Documentation Online are very helpful.
- OWL at Purdue University offers
an extensive collection of
citation
information.
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