Check the Source Web Evaluation

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Check the Source -Web Evaluation

• anette.holmqvist_at_skolutveckling.se

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Why source criticism?

• Information is rarely neutral
• All information needs to be evaluated - printed
  as well as webpages
• The ability to critically evaluate
• sources is necessary in the information age

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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What is source criticism?

• To critically check and interpreta document, an
  image or a statement
• To find out if the source is accurate
• To find out what is true or at least probable

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Evaluation Criteria

• Accuracy - Is the source verified?
• Authorship - Who is the author?
• Objectivity - Is the information biased?
• Currency - Is the content up-to-date?
• Coverage - What topics are included?

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Before you accept

• Ask who posted this information!
• Ask what is the intent of the message!

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Books and Articles

• Who is the author?
• Who is the editor?
• When was it published?
• Is the content reliable?
• Is the content adequate to and does it cover
  your topic?

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Problems with web evaluation

• Anyone can publish on the net
• Mixture of advertising and information
• The hyperlink and framesystem might be confusing
• Webpages disappear

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http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Evaluate webpages - method

• Start with checking the Internetaddress (URL) of
  the document
• The URL might say something about the publisher
  of the website

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Go back to startpage

• Search engines often retrieve pages out of
  content
• Return to the startpage to find the source of
  information

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Decode the URL

• http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/index.h
  tml
• http// transfer protocol
• www.skolutveckling.se servername.domain
• .se country code
• /skolnet/ directory
• /kolla/ subdirectory
• index.html filename.filetype

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Internet Domains

• Domain is the institution, organization or
  enterprise where you can find the host computer
  to the actual website

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Top Level Domains

• National domains - two-lettered country codes for
  example .se .ie. Find more athttp//www.ur.se/ny
  hetsjournalistik/31an.html
• International domains - type of organization for
  example .com .org .gov .edu .mil

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http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Check Domain Name

• http//www.allwhois.com/
• http//speednames.com
• http//www.ripe.net/perl/whois

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http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Who is the author?

• Who created the website?
• Is the author well known? If not look for the
  authors name in an encyclopedia!
• Is the author affiliated to an organization?
• Is the authors email included?
• Dont use anonymous material!

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Personal Websites

• The URLs often ends with a directory like
  /users/ or /people/ followed by a personal name
• The URLs often ends with a tilde /for example
  /john

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http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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What more to find out?

• Is there a list of content or an index?
• Is there a sitemap for better navigation?
• Is the purpose of the site clearly stated?

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Check the content

• What is the purpose of the website?
• Is the purpose to inform, to persuade, to sell or
  to entertain?
• Are there editors and fact checkers?
• Is the content suited to and useful for your
  purpose?
• Is the text free from errors?

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Bibliography or linklist?

• Is a bibliography included?
• Are there any links to other resources about the
  topic?
• Are the links up-to-date?

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Who links to the website?

• Are there any links to the webpage from another
  document that you trust?
• To find out you can writelinkactual URL in a
  search engine
• Be careful, good webpages canlink to bad ones!

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Currency

• Is there a date included that tells you when the
  page was made?
• Is there a date of last update?

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Citing webpages

• Author
• Title of page
• Date of posting/revision
• Date of access
• URL (webaddress)

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Dont forget

• to compare with other sources other webpages,
  books, articles etc
• to use many sources

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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Read more...

• Check the Source - the webpage
• http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
  lanette.holmqvist_at_skolutveckling.se

Check the Source
http//www.skolutveckling.se/skolnet/kolla/eng.htm
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