Exploring+Resources



Evaluating Resources - Alison Cerney

8 Steps to evaluating websites:

http://www.avon.k12.ct.us/enrichment/Enrich/quickgr4-0.htm

Check out this interactive tutorial created to teach evaluating electronic resources. It's all American content but I would would like to improve upon and create a site using Canadian content. It's fun!

http://library.albany.edu/usered/wwwdex/index.html

Evaluating resources (Research Skills for Students: Evaluating Resources (DVD); Searching the Internet (DVD))

Credibility - the quality of belief


 * Who is the author? What are his/her credentials? Education? Experiences? Affiliations?

Accuracy - Freedom from mistake and error.


 * Can facts, statistics or other information be verified through other sources? Are there errors on the page (i.e., spelling, grammar, facts)?

Reliability - The extent to which a source gives the same information as other sources.


 * Does the source present a particular point of view? Is the information affiliated with an organization that has a particular political or social agenda?

Relevance - The relationship to the focused topic or question.


 * Does the information directly support the thesis or help to answer the question? Can it be eliminated or ignored because it simply does not help?

Date - The time at which an information source is published or produced.


 * Does this project need current, up-to-date information? When was this website created? When was it last updated?

Source - A primary reference work or point of origin.


 * Is the information based on primary or secondary sources? Did the author document his/her sources? What kind of links or further reading did the author choose?

Scope & purpose - The range of information on a given topic and the reason behind its creation.


 * Does this source address the thesis in a comprehensive or peripheral way? Is it material that can easily be read and understood?