Web sites Reliability Authenticity Issues Resources I The

Web sites: Reliability & Authenticity: Issues & Resources

I. The problem: the Internet is n Relatively new & untested information and communication medium n Ubiquitous & pervasive in both authorship and audience n Unregulated and unregulatable

II. Examples of the problem: n New Hartford, Minnesota n Feline Reactions to Bearded Men n Human rights in Tunisia websites: • Amnesty International’s (http: //www. amnesty. org/tunisia) • Tunisian government supporters’ (http: //www. amnesty-tunisia. org/)

III. 7 basic website purposes: personal/vanity pages n promotional for sales n current or news sites n informational (on a topic or hobby) n persuasive as propaganda n instructional n registrational/data gathering n

IV. Contexts of website evaluation: n Header n body n footer n navigation

V. Five evaluative guidelines: Authority n Currency n Coverage n Objectivity n Accuracy n

Authority n Who is responsible for the page? n What are their qualifications and associations, and can you verify them?

Authority Check the footer for • name of the web page author • his/her credentials and title • organizational affiliation Is the information verifiable?

Currency n Are dates clear when the website was first created and edited?

Currency Check the footer for when • the website was created • when last edited Check the content for • news items, • indications the site is actively maintained, • acknowledgements/responses to visitors

Coverage n What is the focus of the site? n Are there clear headings to illustrate an outline of the content? Is the navigation within the website clear?

Coverage Check the header for a clear title and web site description Check the content for headings and keywords Check the navigation to verify it reflects the content outline within the web site

Objectivity n Are biases clearly stated? n Are affiliations clear?

Objectivity Check the content for • statement of purpose • type of web site and potential audience • outside links external to the website • graphics and cues for affiliations Check the header/footer and URL/domain (. gov/. com/. edu) to determine organizational source of website and how this reflects on content type

Accuracy n Are sources of information and factual data listed, and available for cross-checking?

Accuracy Check the content for • spelling and grammar • accuracy and consistency of facts Check external web site rating services as Britannica, Cyberlinks, et al

Accuracy Compare content with • website’s external links • your independent research – – on the Internet bibliographic databases & electronic indexes (i. . e ERIC) books print & on-line journals

VI. Bibliography n Webtruth http: //www. iss. stthomas. edu/webtruth