Learn how

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Learn how to Evaluate the Internet Better!
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It has to be correct. I found it on the
Internet.
Fact or Myth???
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Correct! Myth!
Anyone can publish on the Internet. You can
find excellent resources and total junk. It is up
to the user to judge each site.
The best way to find Internet sites that are
reliable, accurate, appropriate and educational
is by using the Online Resources provided through
the DHS library. However, there will be times
when you will need to use a general Internet
site. Here is guide to help you locate the best
web pages
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It all begins with your search technique!
Have you ever typed a keyword into a search
engine and it returned over 12 million websites?
I would venture to guess that all of those sites
were not what you were looking for. Here are a
few tips to help make your searches more
productive!
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Stop searching and start finding what you need!
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TIP 1
Use the Basic Boolean Operators AND (), OR,
and NOT (-).
Dulles Vikings Retrieves documents with both
Dulles and Vikings.
Dulles Vikings
Dulles -Airport Retrieves documents that contain
the word Dulles but not the word Airport.
Dulles Airport
Dulles OR DHS Retrieves documents that contain
the words Dulles or DHS.
Dulles DHS
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Lets try tip 1
First, click on the google address below and
try using the Boolean Operators. Record the
number of hits for each and the first website
that is returned
www.google.com

• Search for Dulles OR DHS (The OR must be
  capitalized)
• Search for Dulles DHS (There is no space between
  -and D)
• Search for Dulles DHS (There is no space
  between and D)

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The number of hits you received for each search
should have gone down!Remember, if you are
specific in your search terms you will have
better results.
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Tip 2
Group a phrase together using quotation marks
() so that the search engine is looking for the
exact phrase not each individual word.
Lets try looking for Abraham Lincolns
Gettysburg Address. Use the google search
engine and the type in the following Fourscore
and seven 4. How many hits did you get? Now
try it as Fourscore and seven 5. How many
hits did you get this time?
Google.com
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The number of hits you received for these
searches should be dramatically
different.Remember when searching for a phrase
always place the phrase in quotation marks. ()
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Tip 3 Check the URL!
A tilde ( ), a percent sign ( ), or the
general web-hosts like geocities, or the words
"users," "members," or "people indicate this is
a personal web-page. This person may or may not
be an expert on the topic. Anyone can post a
website! Typically you do not want to use such a
site.
http//faculty.washington.edu/krumme/207/support/
sl-story.html
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Tip 3 Check the URL! More examples
Government sites contain .gov, .mil, or a country
code ex http//www.nps.gov Educational
sites look for .edu or K12 ex
http//www.tamu.edu Nonprofit organizations look
for .org ex http//www.netserf.org/
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Lets Practice tip 3!
Based on the URLs, decide if each web-site is one
that you might trust or one that you would
question.
6. http//www.netserf.org/ 7. http//www.geocitie
s.com/EnchantedForest/Tower/3098/charlemange.html
8. http//history.boisestate.edu/westciv/medieval
/ 9. http//members.aol.com/tmatrust/home.html 10
. http//www.fcps.k12.va.us/OakViewES/harris/96-9
7/agespages/middle-ages/index.html
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Lets check how you did..6. Trust ended in
.org7. Question includes geocities8. Trust
- .edu with no name included9. Question
includes the word members10.
Question even though it includes
.k12.us it also has the abbreviation for
elementary school (ES) and includes and
individuals name
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Tip 4
Be sure to try out a handful of sites when
researching a topic on the Internet. Do not rely
on only one site or one type of site.
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Tip 5 Always evaluate your websites!
Use C.A.R.D.S. to help you!
Credibility Accuracy Reliability Date Scope
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CREDIBILITY
Anyone can create a web-page so you need to be
selective about the authors you decide to cite
for your research project. Check the
following Is the author's name and e-mail
address provided somewhere on the site's home
page. What are his or her credentials? Is the
author an authority in the field? (Be suspect if
the page lists no educational credentials. Does
the person have an advanced degree? Is the degree
related to the page you are evaluating? A
professor of physics, may not have particular
expertise writing about the Holocaust.)
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CREDIBILITY
Is the author affiliated with an institution or
organization? Do the affiliations suggest that
the author may have a bias or special interest?
Check the links what exactly is this author
supporting or who is the author supported by?
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ACCURACY
Can the facts, statistics, or other information
be verified through other sources? Based on your
knowledge, does the information seem
accurate? Always verify the information you find
with another source!
11. Which website would you use to aide in your
research about recreation for your dog? Dog Site
1 Or Dog Site 2  12. Why did you choose
the site in question 11?
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Did you say 1? If so, did you read the site?
Do you really think there would be an island just
for dogs?Yes, the site appears to be
professional however, it contains false
information. If you researched Dog Island you
would find that it is not a special island for
dogs. Always be sure to check the information
with other sites you know to be reliable.The
best choice would have been site 2.
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RELIABILITY/Objectivity
Does the source present a particular view or
bias? Is the source trying to persuade you to
believe one thing or another? Is the source
trying to get you to purchase a product?
13. Which website below presents only one view
of the topic? Website 1 Or Website 2 14.
When is it good to use a site with a bias?
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Website 1 is supported by Pro- Choice America.
This site only gives the pro-choice point of
view. Website 2 is an unbiased presentation of
U.S. public policy issues. If you were writing
a persuasion paper you may want to read some of
the biased sites.
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DATE
Every Web site should provide the date of
creation and last update. The date should be
found at the bottom of the homepage. If not, is
this really the site you want to use? Examine
the most current materials first. Also, ask
yourself, are these dates meaningful in terms of
my subject matter?
15. Which site would you go to for the most
current information on the conflict in
Iraq? Website 1 Or Website 2 16. Why would you
not use the other site? (be specific)
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Website 1 is the CNN news web-page. If you
clicked on the about CNN link at the bottom of
the home-page, you would see that this site is
updated continuously throughout the day. Great
site for up-to-date materials!Website 2 - It
is connected to the Harvard Law School however,
it is not updated every day. The news article
presented on Iraq is from 2002.
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Scope
Always remember that most web-sites are not
created for student research. They are created
to sell a product, share a view point, or for
research publication. So
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Scope
Does this information directly support my
hypothesis/thesis or help to answer my research
question? Is it a scholarly or popular approach
of the topic? Do I have the background knowledge
the author assumes I have about the topic?
Ask yourself these questions before you use the
resource.
17. Check these 2 web-sites, which one would be
best for to use if you were writing a research
paper about the affects of second hand
smoke? Website 1 Website 2
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Website 1 is too low level for a high school
research paper. It does not give you the
information you need. Website 2 is more
scholarly and to the point.
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Next time you surf the internet remember the tips
you just used!
1. Use the Basic Boolean Operators AND (), OR,
and NOT (-). 2. Group a phrase together by using
. 3. Check the URL. 4 Be sure to try out a
handful of sites. 5. Always evaluate your
websites! Use C.A.R.D.S. to help you!
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REMINDER
You may NOT copy and paste information from the
internet into your own assignments. You can, on
the other hand, put the information in your own
words and be sure to give credit to the original
author through documentation such as the MLA
format.
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Enjoy your internet searching!
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ResourcesClark, Jeanne. Evaluating the
Internet. 2003. Engle, Michael. Evaluating
Web Sites Criteria and Tools. 14 April 2003.
lthttp//www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/w
ebeval.htmlgt. Grassian, Esther. Thinking
Critically about World Wide Web Resources. 6
Sept. 200. lthttp//www.library.ucla.edu/librarie
s/college/help/critical/index.htmgt.Valenza,
Joyce. Fort Bend Independent School District
Workshop. 7August 2003. lthttp//joycevalenza.co
m/fortbend.htmlgt. Valenza, Joyce. Why Should
I Take this Author Seriously? 25 Aug. 2003.
lthttp//mciu.org/spjvweb/whyauthor.htmlgt.
Valenza, Joyce, CARRDSS. 25 Aug. 2003.
lthttp//mciu.org/spjvweb/carrdss.htmlgt.