Evaluating Websites Bogus Websites and Hoaxes Evaluating Websites

Evaluating Websites: Bogus Websites and Hoaxes

Evaluating Websites • How can you tell if the information on a website is fact or fiction? • Two experts give us guidelines to use: – Joyce Valenza – Kathy Schrock

Kathy Schrock Guide • Check out the Kathy Schrock Guide to Web Evaluation • http: //school. discoveryeducation. com/schr ockguide/eval. html

WEB SITE EVALUATION (Joyce Valenza, 2004) 1. Content Does the site cover the topic comprehensively? Accurately? Can you understand what is being said? Is it written above or below your level of understanding? What is unique about this site? Does it offer something others do not? Are the links well-chosen? sufficient? Currency: Can you tell: the date the information was created? the publication date? the date the material was last revised? Are these dates meaningful in terms of the subject matter? Would you get better information in a book? an encyclopedia? Would you include this site in your bibliography? 2. Authority/Credibility Who is responsible for this site? Who sponsors it? Hint: truncate each section of the URL back until you are able to find the sponsor. What are his/her credentials? Have the authors of the site cited their own sources? Are the sources documented appropriately? What is the domain name? Does it end in. com, . gov, . edu, . org, . net? Is it a personal page? Is that a meaningful clue in evaluating the site? (You can't always judge a web page by its suffix. Some commercial sites provide solid information. Some university sites offer less-than-serious personal pages to graduate students. ) Who else links to the site? (You can perform a link check in Alta. Vista or Google by entering "link: webaddress" in the search box. Is it linked to by reliable sites? What do other sites say about this one? Would you include this site in your bibliography? 3. Bias/purpose Why was this site created? (to persuade, inform, explain, sell, promote, parody, other? ) Is it a personal, commercial, government or organization site? Is there any bias? Is only one side of the argument presented? Does it appear that any information is purposely omitted? Is there a hidden message? Is it trying to persuade you or change your opinion? Is the bias useful to you in some way? Can you distinguish facts from opinion? Would you include this site in your bibliography? 4. Usability/design Is the site easy to navigate (user-friendly)? Is there a well-labeled contents area? Do all the design elements (graphics, art, buttons, etc. ) enhance the message of the site? Is there consistency in the basic formats of each page? Are there any errors in spelling or grammar? Do the pages appear clean, uncluttered? Do the links on the site work? Would you include this site in your bibliography?

Content Does the site cover the topic comprehensively? Accurately? Can you understand what is being said? Is it written above or below your level of understanding? What is unique about this site? Does it offer something others do not? Are the links well-chosen? sufficient? Currency: Can you tell: the date the information was created? the publication date? the date the material was last revised? Are these dates meaningful in terms of the subject matter? Would you get better information in a book? an encyclopedia? Would you include this site in your bibliography?

Authority/credibility Who is responsible for this site? Who sponsors it? Hint: truncate each section of the URL back until you are able to find the sponsor. What are his/her credentials? Have the authors of the site cited their own sources? Are the sources documented appropriately? What is the domain name? Does it end in. com, . gov, . edu, . org, . net? Is it a personal page? Is that a meaningful clue in evaluating the site? (You can't always judge a web page by its suffix. Some commercial sites provide solid information. Some university sites offer less-than-serious personal pages to graduate students. ) Who else links to the site? (You can perform a link check in Alta. Vista or Google by entering "link: webaddress" in the search box. Is it linked to by reliable sites? What do other sites say about this one? Would you include this site in your bibliography?

Bias/purpose Why was this site created? (to persuade, inform, explain, sell, promote, parody, other? ) Is it a personal, commercial, government or organization site? Is there any bias? Is only one side of the argument presented? Does it appear that any information is purposely omitted? Is there a hidden message? Is it trying to persuade you or change your opinion? Is the bias useful to you in some way? Can you distinguish facts from opinion? Would you include this site in your bibliography?

Usability/design • • Is the site easy to navigate (user-friendly)? Is there a well-labeled contents area? Do all the design elements (graphics, art, buttons, etc. ) enhance the message of the site? Is there consistency in the basic formats of each page? Are there any errors in spelling or grammar? Do the pages appear clean, uncluttered? Do the links on the site work? Would you include this site in your bibliography?

Fake Sites • Dihydrogen Monoxide Sounds like a very dangerous chemical indeed. It's actually H 2 O, but if you're not of a scientific mind this site will get you every time. • Save the Tree Octopus Very well put together site and perfectly believable. • RYT Hospital Well put together website, linking into a number of other spoof sites, and from a quick view looks entirely bono fide. • The Ova Prima Foundation This site has scientific 'proof' that the egg came first. Very well done, with todays date, various sections and very academic looking.

Fake Sites • The Centaur Excavations Very well done, with photographs, created in a good academic style with an. edu domain. Actually explaining a hoax, but from a quick look it's easy to be fooled. • Clones R Us Providing information on their 'cloning' operation for human beings. FAQ, price list, testimonials. Quite slick and professionally put together, though the price list is a giveaway. • Save the Guinea Worm Well put together site, very credible, but the URL gives the game away.

Fake Sites • Online Pregnancy Test This shouldn't really fool people, but I suspect that it does. You may need to try and be scanned twice to confirm that you are actually pregnant. • People for the Ethical Treatment of Algae The title says it all. It's not particularly well done, in that there isn't a great deal of information there, and it's quite a basic site. • Petrol Direct Buy your petrol direct and have it delivered. It sounds like a sensible deal.

Fake Sites • Baby cages Infant confinement specialists since 2001. This is one of those 'it's probably not true. . . is it? ' sites that you can't be absolutely sure about. Dehydrated water A commercial website selling dehydrated water. Very well put together. • Free electricity project Campaign for free electricity. Very busy, and while it's well done I think it's a bit too over the top to be entirely believable.

How do you really know?

CRITICAL EVALUATION Why Evaluate What You Find on the Web? • Anyone can put up a Web page – about anything • Many pages not kept up-to-date • No quality control – most sites not “peer-reviewed” • less trustworthy than scholarly publications – no selection guidelines for search engines

What do you look for? • When you look at a website what would you look for to determine if it is a legitimate source of information?

Web Evaluation Techniques Scan the perimeter of the page • Can you tell who wrote it ? • name of page author • organization, institution, agency you recognize • e-mail contact by itself not enough • Credentials for the subject matter ? – Look for links to: “About us” “Philosophy” “Background” “Biography” • Is it recent or current enough ? • Look for “last updated” date - usually at bottom

Web Evaluation Techniques Indicators of quality • Sources documented • links, footnotes, etc. – As detailed as you expect in print publications ? • do the links work ? • Information retyped or forged • why not a link to published version instead ? • Links to other resources • biased, slanted ?

Web Evaluation Techniques What Do Others Say ? • Search the URL in alexa. com – Who links to the site? Who owns the domain? – Type or paste the URL into the basic search box – Traffic for top 100, 000 sites • See what links are Similar pages • Look up the page author

Web Evaluation Techniques STEP BACK & ASK: Does it all add up ? • Why was the page put on the Web ? • • • inform with facts and data? explain, persuade? sell, entice? share, disclose? as a parody or satire? • Is it appropriate for your purpose?

5 W’s of Web Site Evaluation http: //kathyschrock. net/abcev al/5 ws. pdf

The ABC’s of Web Site Evaluation http: //school. discoveryeducation. com/schrockguide/pdf/weval_02. pdf

Verify a Hoax Check these sites to verify spoofs, hoaxes, urban legends or myths you may have read about: – About. com Urban Legends http: //urbanlegends. about. com – CDC Health Hoaxes & Rumors http: //www. cdc. gov/hoax_rumors. htm – Hoaxbusters http: //hoaxbusters. ciac. org – Vmyths http: //www. vmyths. com – Snopes. com http: //www. snopes. com

Bogus Websites • • Open the Critical Evaluation List Critical Evaluation Websites-bogus&hoax. doc Select 10 websites to review Critique each website in the four areas: – – Content Authority/credibility Bias/purpose Usability/design • Submit to the digital drop box

Web address: _______ Content Authority/credibility Bias/purpose Usability/design