Can we use Google or Wikipedia to find credible resources?
Anyone can post in Wikipedia, and when you search Google (or
any other search engines), the sites that appear at the top are the most
popular sites OR they are the sites that pay the most money to get listed at
the top.
image 1: https://www.slideshare.net/ElisabethTully/defending-the-truth-in-a-wikipedia-world
Some common domain names which are important
.edu - education sites- be sure that they have clearly identified who they are. An educational website can be written by any student with space on their college’s server. It does not mean the site is automatically reliable.
.gov - government sites- be sure that they have clearly
identified who they are.
.org - organization sites- published by non-profit
organizations- read the information that describes who they are and why they
are publishing this information. Find out if they are being sponsored by other
reputable organizations.
.com - commercial
sites- usually this means the site’s purpose is to generate revenue in some
way. Determine how they are trying to do this
.net - network infrastructures- read the information that
describes who they are and why they are publishing this information
Tips for evaluating websites:
Evaluating Web pages requires three actions:
–Be suspicious
– Think critically about every page you find
– Constantly consider your intended use of the web
# Look for the author's name near the top or the bottom of the
page. If you can't find a name, look for a copyright credit (©) or link to an
organization.
# Look for biographical information or the author's
affiliations (university department, organization, corporate title, etc.).
Their background information should be related to the topic of the page in some
way.
# Anyone who has visited a chat room knows that people don't
always identify themselves accurately, so look for the author’s information in
other sources.
# Look for an email link, address, or phone number for the
author. A responsible author should give you the means to contact him/her
