Research and web evaluation
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This document discusses various tips for evaluating information sources, including checking for accuracy, authority on the topic, comprehensive coverage of the issue, currency of the information, ease of presentation or reading level, and objectivity of the source. It emphasizes comparing information across multiple sources and checking sources for potential bias. Key criteria mentioned include accuracy of facts, qualifications of the author, how well and recently the topic is covered, and whether the information is presented objectively or from a biased perspective.
Research and web evaluation
- 1. Image: World's Biggest Dog D. Price-Ewen 2012/13 1
- 2. Real! 2
- 3. Real! 3
- 4. G.W. Bush and dad out fishing during Hurricane Katrina Fake! 4
- 5. Black & White Twins Real! 5
- 6. Illegal Alien Hides in Dashboard Real! 6
- 7. Black & White Twins Fake! 7
- 8. North Pole Sunset Fake! 8
- 9. The ability to find relevant and accurate information efficiently 9
- 10. Does the question your teacher asks you in your assignment, contain any instructional verbs? E.g. list the 5 ingredients in apple pie Analyse Contrast Criticise Define Describe Discuss Enumerate Explain Interpret Justify List Outline Prove Relate Resolve Review 10
- 11. Try and use as many different “content rich” resources as possible, so that information can be compared and contrasted to ensure accuracy. >3 different resources = better information reliability 11
- 12. WARNING Know this: the Internet is full of bogus web-sites, inaccuracies, misinformation, disinformation, poor grammar and spelling, shoddy ideas, scope-less and out of date content. The Internet is a swampy croc-fest of bad information ready to reach up and bite you where it hurts – your marks. 12
- 13. Google Is there anything wrong with Google?? What is a meta-search engine? Have you heard of the meta-search engine? One of the best is… Dogpile Escape the Google bubble by using: Duck Duck Go! 13
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- 16. beyond .com, .net and .org… network = .net company = .com organisations = .org multimedia = .tv business cooperatives = .coop museum = .museum information = .info Education = .edu personal use = .name professionals = .pro air transport = .aero web sites = .ws 16
- 17. + Google power searching tip: try searching images by colour! 17
- 18. What the??? 18
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- 22. In summary: - Reference first for keywords - Then go to the primary and/or secondary resources (scope a library and the Internet to see what’s available) - Evaluate your resources (Accuracy, Authority, Coverage, Currency, Presentation, Objectivity) - Use your search engine’s advanced searching - Check websites, in particular, for authority (authorship), accuracy and currency AND - …compare it ALWAYS with other sources - When in doubt or you’ve run out of time – see your Librarian! 22
- 23. Accuracy – compare resources to gauge accuracy: check dates, figures, facts, spelling, grammar…compare one resource with another. Authority – who wrote/ hosted/ sponsored the article, book, Internet site, etc….Are these authors credible and objective or are they biased, with an agenda (see Objectivity)? Coverage – how well covered is the topic. On the Internet, some topics are only superficially covered. Currency (not money) – how old/ recent is the article/ book, etc. Information is constantly changing: new facts are discovered all the time, ensure you have the most up-to-date information. 23
- 24. Ease of Use/Presentation – students need resources that match or just slightly challenge their comprehension levels. Resources come in all shapes and sizes, density and complexity. Encourage students to use the five finger rule: if they can point to more than 5 words on a page or site that they don’t understand the resource is too hard for them. Encourage the use of a dictionary for 5 words or less. Objectivity – bias and subjectivity are the enemy of good research. Avoid bias by checking the domain ext. of the Internet site you are using and by checking the authority of the author of the resource. 24
Editor's Notes
- #9: If you had trouble with all that, imagine how much more difficult it will be when evaluating an entire website! Everyday, every single time we use the Internet, we should be questioning its content as soundly as we have just questioned the legitimacy of these pictures. Can we take anything at face value these days? Now more than ever, we must be vigilant. Are you students up to the task? Being or becoming information literate is key to your survival!
- #10: This is my definition. There are others and the term is often used interchangeably with the terms “information skills”, “ICT skills”, or “library skills”. These terms are not synonymous though they are often lumped together. Another aspect of information literacy is being able to recognise when information is actually needed.
- #11: All students should have a list of definitions to these words. Some of these instructional verbs are easier to do than others: for example, to list something is far easier to do than to analyse something. Find definitions for each of these instructional verbs so that you can answer the question accurately.
- #12: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/r/d/rdb178 (Computer) http://www.paulenglish.com/books (books) http://www.pori.fi/kirjasto/kieliromput.htm (CD ROM) http://www.newamericandimensions.com/BLOGS_Archive/BLOGS_2004_MAR_16-31.html (News Papers) [All Accessed May 2006]
- #13: Know this: the Internet is full of bogus web-sites, inaccuracies, misinformation, disinformation, poor grammar and spelling, shoddy ideas, scope-less and out of date content. The Internet is a swampy croc-fest of bad information ready to reach up and bite you where it hurts – your student’s learning outcome. State differences between misinformation (unintentional mistakes e.g. typos, basic factual mistakes) and disinformation (deliberate inaccuracies)
- #14: 4/5 people will Google the Internet Google is the number one search engine in the world. It has become a habit, and not always a very good one. But have you heard of DOG-PILE, which is, essentially, all of the very best search engines rolled into one. Google is good, however, if you require a good source of images or if you use its advanced search option (more on that later)
- #15: Note the box entitled: “Are you looking for?” on the far right of the search results page. Dog-pile has effectively cached the key sites for you under the subtitles shown. It has also provided you with a list of related topics. Dogpile will also track for you your recent searches, which will be placed in a like box, under the “Are you looking for” box. natural language queries – Like “what does edifice mean?” It won’t always interpret your question accurately, but it will give it a good shot.
- #16: Note the box entitled: “Are you looking for?” on the far right of the search results page. Dog-pile has effectively cached the key sites for you under the subtitles shown. It has also provided you with a list of related topics. Dogpile will also track for you your recent searches, which will be placed in a like box, under the “Are you looking for” box. natural language queries – Like “what does Debbie mean?” It won’t always interpret your question accurately, but it will give it a good shot.
- #17: Domain extensions make a difference when it comes to quality results from the Internet .net stands for "network," and is most commonly used by Internet service providers, Web-hosting companies or other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, some businesses choose domain names with a .net extension for their intranet Websites. .com are usually product sites that are legitimate commercial sites that slant their information towards selling a product .org stands for "organization," and is primarily used by non-profits groups or trade associations. .tv is for rich content/multi-media Web sites, commonly used within the entertainment or media industry Some of the most credible and accurate resources can be found under three domains in particular: .info is for credible resource Web sites, it's the most popular extension beyond .com, .net and .org. But be warned, some content is produced by hobbyists or amateurs. However, I have personally found some great stuff under this domain when assisting with research. .edu is for sites that are backed by educational institutions. Articles on these sites are usually peer reviewed and edited. .museum is another good source of sound information. You can do a search only for information found under these domains by doing an advanced search in either google or dog-pile. There are many domain names out there, try searching using some of the last domain ext. on this list. Remember tho, that even the credible authors of websites make mistakes, be it spelling or factual, etc.
- #18: Both Google and dogpile enable you to search for domain extensions via their advanced search option. Gareth will go into this topic in more detail. Also remember that with most search engines, like Google, you also have on the first page more options such as blog searches, book searches, scholar, etc … .click on google address to demonstrate
- #19: Note the url: www.idiotica.com/cranium/encyclopedia/content/mars.htm
- #20: More dangerous than misinformation, a parody or a spoof; sites containing disinformation and/or counterfeit sites that disseminate deliberately false information can trip up even the most astute Internet user. This Martin Luther King site is specifically aimed at student research, contains malicious and false information and is racist. On the surface, it looks credible. But note the domain ext. It’s not educational, it has actually been placed by an organisation. Cont. onto the next slide…
- #21: There is also a host link at the bottom of the page which, when clicked on, links up to the Storm Front White Pride site.
- #22: Anyone want to register for the Storm Front White Nationalist community announcements??
- #23: Continually encourage yourself to compare resources: the Internet, books, databases, online and hardcopy reference sources, journals etc. The key to effective research is to question what is read and never rely on anyone, single resource.
- #24: Read out the above Keep this set of guidelines in mind throughout the presentation…
- #25: Cont…