Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources | USM Libraries | University of Southern Maine. Is the Web a good research tool? This question is dependent on the researcher's objective. As in traditional print resources one must use a method of critical analysis to determine its value. Here is a checklist for evaluating web resources to help in that determination. Authority: Is the information reliable? Check the author's credentials and affiliation. Does the resource have a reputable organization or expert behind it?
Are the sources of information stated? Can the author be contacted for clarification? Check for organizational or author biases. Scope: Is the material at this site useful, unique, accurate or is it derivative, repetitious, or doubtful? Is the information available in other formats? Is the purpose of the resource clearly stated? What items are included in the resource? Is the information factual or opinion? Does the site contain original information or simply links? How frequently is the resource updated? Does the site have clear and obvious pointers to new content? Other Tips: Evaluation Skills. The 5 Elements Students Should Look For When Evaluating Web Content.
March , 2014 In a section in her wonderful book "Understanding The Social Lives of Networked Teens" Danah Boyd talked extensively about the concept of digital natives and argued that this nomenclature does not really capture the essence of what a digitally savvy teenager really means. Dana argued that the mere fact of being comfortable with a social media tool does not prove that the user has a digital fluency to allow them to better use it for educational purposes : Just because teens are comfortable using social media to hang out does not mean that they’re fluent in or with technology. Many teens are not nearly as digitally adept as the often-used assumption that they are “digital natives” would suggest.
The teens I met knew how to get to Google but had little understanding about how to construct a query to get quality information from the popular search engine. Learning how to evaluate online content is an essential step in the process of developing digitally literate students. Google: Boolean Operators & Phrase Searching - How Do I...? - Research Guides at University of Washington Libraries. [Image of google.com search box] Audio: How can you make Google work better for you when you’re searching? Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started. Let’s say we’re doing research on the impact of multiracial people & culture in America. We’re just getting started, so we’ll type “multiracial” into the Google search box. [Image of search results] Audio: Notice that we are getting all kinds of results using this search – from Wikipedia, to a site called “blackflix.com,” to even some government websites thrown in there.
We can do better. Audio: When you type multiple words into the search box, Google will look ONLY for those results that have ALL of your keywords. Even just adding one keyword has given us way fewer results (even though there are probably still more than we want). You can also broaden your search by asking Google to look for synonyms or related ideas using the word “OR.” [Image of UW Libraries homepage] Vaughan Memorial Library : Tutorials : Credible Sources Count! Learners - Essay writing - Study skills.