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Evaluating Websites: Home

Be Curious

Think and Ask Questions!

Look for Clues!

How Do You Know?

YOU BE THE JUDGE!

About Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a common website used when researching.  Wikipedia can be a useful resource, but it is unusual in that it is an 'open source' website, meaning:

ANYONE can contribute to the site, whether they are an expert or not.

About Wikipedia

Spotting Fake News Articles

Just Because It Says So On the Internet, Doesn't Mean It's True

The 5 W's of Website Evaluation

Who

Who wrote the information and are they an expert?

How can you find out more about the author?

What

What is the purpose of the site?

What does the URL tell you about the purpose of the site?

When

When was the information created or last updated?

Does the currency of the information directly impact your subject?

Where

Where is this information coming from, who is the sponsor of the site?

Is there an "About Us" on the site to read about the publisher or who is responsible for the site?

Why

Why is this a good site for your research?

Could you find the information through a better source?

Since anyone can put information on the web and it is not reviewed, always read the "About Us" section on the website to check for information about the author and the sponsor of the site.

The 5 W's of Website Evaluation

RADCAB - More things to think about when evaluating a web page!

 

Sample Works Cited Document / MLA Style

Document Times New Roman, 12 font, double spaced

Citation -  Times New Roman, 12 font, double spaced, 

      - ABC order  

      - Every line AFTER the first is indented

      - (ENTER, TAB to indent any line after the 1st)

_________________________________________________________________

Student's Name

Teacher's Name

Class

30 March 2017

Works Cited

Stellhorn, Paul A., and Michael J. Birkner. "William Franklin Appointment,

       1762." New Jersey Department of State. State of New Jersey Department of State,

      1982.  Web. 14 Oct. 2016. <http://www.nj.gov/state/archives/docfranklin.html>.

Explanation of why this website is a valid and reliable source.

This website is a valid source for information as it is sponsored by a reliable government organization, The State Department of New Jersey, whose purpose is to educate and inform. The URL is a .gov.  It gave the names of the authors. It did not have ads to try to sell me anything.  It was full of information that I could use for my project.

___________________________________________________________________

 

Are These Websites Reliable?

Use your Website Evaluation worksheet to evaluate each of the websites below on Beluga Whales.

Which website would you use, the 1st or 2nd? 

Look at the URL.  Is it  

 .gov   .com   .org    .edu ?

Beluga Whales   (1)         

Beluga Whales   (2)

Citation Generator

Easy Bib

EasyBib

Use this citation generator to create your MLA style citations for all your sources.

Why Cite?

  • Give Credit to the Author or Creator
  • Locate Sources
  • Avoid Plagiarism
  • Stay Organized

      Cite As You Go!