Evaluating

By now you are aware of just how difficult it is to find the information you want on the Web unless you know the appropriate address. There is also the problem of finding useful and accurate information. Some Web authors do not give much thought to how the information they have at their site will be retrieved. You will notice that many Web documents lack titles that clearly describe the documents or introductions that can be used to determine whether the documents are appropriate to your use. In researching a project on the Internet it is important to evaluate the source of the information you will use. Remember, anyone can post information on the Internet. There are no rules as to accuracy or reliability of the information. This means that you must discriminate, read carefully, and check your sources.  Here are a few questions you should answer when considering the reliability of a source: 1. On what date was the publication posted? Is the information up to date? 2. Is the information factual or the opinion of the author? 3. What is the primary source of the information? You are most likely to trust information posted by NASA or the University of Chicago than information posted by a high school student who cites no sources. 4. Does the author present his or her credentials? You are most likely to trust a well established authority in the field you are researching. || When citing Web sources, it is important to remember that the primary purpose of a citation is to allow the reader to locate the cited information. As of yet the academic world has not agreed to a single citation standard, but one of the more widely accepted forms is that published by the Modern Language Association (MLA) in its publication MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fourth Edition. Several web sites also have examples of citations for material found on the Internet. Most of these other sites are similar to the MLA guidelines, with the addition of the URL where the information was found. ||  **//Helpful Hints//** // When citing Internet sites, always cut and paste the URL. It is too easy to make a mistake and leave out a "~" or a "/". // || According to the MLA guidelines, plus the URL, the general form of a citation is:
 * "Evaluating Internet Resources" **
 * **Lesson Objective:** || Learn how to evaluate the reliability of online resources, and how to site online resources in a bibliography. ||
 * **Citing Web Sources in a Research Paper**

|| Author’s Last Name, First Name MI. “Title of the Document.” Title of Journal, Newsletter, or something similar Volume number (date of publication): Number of pages or paragraphs. Online. Internet. Date of access. Available http: URL. || For example: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harrison, Sally W. “Effects of Tourism on Australian Economic Resources." Hudson Economy Journal 120 (10 June 1996): 24 pages. Online. Internet. 2 Feb. 1998. Available http: www.Austcham.com.Au.

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In many cases the name of an individual author will not be provided. In this case corporate authorship may be used, but be careful to make clear what organization has produced the cited text. Often the institution running the server containing the text cannot be assumed to be its sponsor. If the Web pages note the name of a person or organization responsible for their maintenance, the name can be inserted after the abbreviation Maint. Make sure to list the URL exactly as it appeared when the cited document was located so that the reader can locate the source. If the source is an article with a date of publication, use that date. If not, use the date the text was accessed. This is important because resources on the Web can change frequently and the reader may access a source different from the one cited.

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this practice you will select a topic, research it on the Web, and cite your sources. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) SELECT A TOPIC Select a topic that interests you and one for which you could write a re- search paper. For example, “Discoveries made by the Hubble Telescope.”  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) LOCATE USEFUL SITES Using the research techniques you have learned in this Guide, locate three sites which contain information specifically applicable to your topic. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) EVALUATE SITES Evaluate each of the three sites for reliability by answering the four questions in the section “Evaluating Sources.” Write brief answers to the questions using a word processor.  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) CITE EACH SOURCE Using the guidelines outlined in the previous section “Citing Web Sources in a Research Paper,” cite each of your sources. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That was a little heavy... On the teachers command, click this link and do the [|online scavenger hunt]!