Reliable ResOurce

What is a Reliable Resource?

A way to know if your source of information is reliable is to check it for the following:

ACCURACY

AUTHORITY

BIAS

CURRANCY

RELEVANCE

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ACCURACY Currently no web standards exist to ensure accuracy. Are there mistakes in spelling or word usage? Is the info reliable and error-free? Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the info? AUTHORITY Anyone can publish anything on the internet. Who is the author? Is she an expert on the topic? Does a reputable organization back this website? Is there a link to more information about the author or sponsor? What is the URL domain? The URL domain can provide information about the producer of the web site, and its purpose: .gov = Government Agency .net = Internet Service Provider .com = Commercial Site .edu = Higher education .mil = Military Site ~ ("tilde") = Personal Site .org = Organization; may be charitable, religious, or a lobbying group. Other domains include: .museum, .info, .biz BIAS View any web page as you would an infomercial on T.V. and ask yourself why it was written and for whom. What is the purpose of the web site? Selling you something, informative, educational, entertaining, persuasive, personal, a joke/hoax? Is the information factual or opinion? Is the content bias? Is the bias hidden or clear? How does the bias impact the usefulness of the info? Is there advertising on the page? CURRENCY If information is outdated it may not be accurate. When was the page last updated? How current are the links? Do they work? Is the info up-to-date or outdated? RELEVANCE You want to make sure a web site you find covers the information you are seeking. How in-depth is the material? Does it cover enough for your topic? Does the site contain original info or just links? Is the material at this site useful and accurate, or is it doubtful and repetitious?

Created by Rosalyn Obando on March 27, 2012.

Resources used to create this document:
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University of Southern Maine. (2004). Checklist for Evaluating web resources. Retrieved from http://library.usm.maine.edu/research/researchguides/ webeval.php?ID=0.