SI : Evaluating Web Sites for Academic Research

Open Evaluating Websites in another browser window to work through this tutorial side by side.

There is so much information online it may become overwhelming.

When we use Google, we may find a lot of quantity, but not necessarily quality.

Below is a really easy four-step process used to evaluate web sites.

C. Currency- when was the page last updated?

R. Reliability- can the information be verified with references or a bibliography? Is the information trustworthy?

A. Authority- Who created the web site?

P. Purpose- What is the purpose of the web site? Is it advertising, educational, propaganda?

Let's visit a web site and practice using the same criteria.

Go to www.lasikathome.com

C.- When was the web site last updated?

R. Is this information reliable. In a separate browser window, please Google the following:

"do it yourself" AND "Lasik surgery" AND "New York City"

Is there such a thing as DIY (do it yourself) laser eye surgery?

A. Who is the author of this web site? In a separate browser window, please look up the physician on the American Medical Association physician database https://doctorfinder.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/disclaimer.do?

P. What is the purpose of this web site? Why does it exist?

C. The web site has not been updated since 2006.

R. There is no verified evidence that this laser eye clinic actually sells this product. There are no published TV reports, books, newspaper articles, or magazine articles that verify this information to be true. This product has not been approved by the FDA (food and drug administration). Lasik at Home is not a real product. There are no external information sources that confirm this product to be truthful.

A. The physician and inventor of this product, Dr. Amir Khadim, is not a real person. You may look up this person in the AMA (American Medical Association) physician database.

P. The purpose of this web site is that it is a joke or simply a way to get naive people to donate money (as there is a link to donate money).

Quiz

Please complete the following online quiz to test your skills. You will be asked to enter your own email at the end--this will email the results of the quiz to you. From there, you can forward the results to a professor, if needed.

How do you evaluate a website's currency (ie how current the information is)?

 

What represents the website's authority?

Even reliable websites may have an agenda or a specific point of view. What is one of the best ways to evaluate a website's purpose?

Which of the following is the most credible domain name?

Certificate

Please enter your name and email address to retrieve a copy of your completed quiz.

You can enter multiple email addresses separated by commas. If you are doing this for a class, you may need to enter your instructor's email address also.