Transcript Evaluating Internet Sources

Student Resource Guide:
Reading and Evaluating
Internet Sources
Active Reading Skills, 1/e
Kathleen McWhorter
PowerPoints by Gretchen Starks-Martin
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Reading Electronic Text
Focus on your purpose for visiting the site.
Get used to the site’s design and layout.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Discover how it is organized.
Expect the first screen to make a main point.
Get used to the layout before you try to
obtain information.
Consider the focus and limitations of your
learning style. Words and graphics are
important in Web sites.
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Reading Electronic Text
Get used to the site’s design and layout. As
you scroll through, ask the following
questions:
What information is available?
How is it arranged on the screen?
Can you search the site using a search option
or box?
Is there a site map?
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Reading Electronic Text
Pay attention to how information is organized.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Use the site map to discover what information is
available and how it is organized.
Consider the order in which you want to take in
information.
Write brief notes to yourself as you explore a
complicated Web site. You may want to print the
homepage or save pages as a text file on your
computer.
Expect shorter, less detailed sentences and
paragraphs.
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Reading Electronic Text
Use links to find the information you need.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Plan on exploring links to find complete and detailed
information.
Bookmark your original site and other useful sites you
come across so you can find them again.
If you use a site or link that has many pages, print the
material and read it offline.
If you lack background on a topic, use links to fill in the
gap or search for a different Web site.
If you get lost, most Internet browsers have a history
feature so that you can retrace the links you followed.
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Evaluating Internet Sources:
Types of Web sites
Informational
News
Advocacy (promotion)
Personal
Commercial
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
See Table C-1
for types,
purpose, and
sample sites.
Evaluating Internet Sources:
Content
Evaluate the appropriateness for your
purpose.
Evaluate the source.
Who is the sponsor?
Why was this site put up?
What does the URL, its copyright, and the
links tell you about the sponsor?
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Evaluating Internet Sources:
Content
Evaluate the level of technical detail suited
to your purpose.
Evaluate the presentation of the material
for clearness and written grammar.
Evaluate the completeness of the material.
Evaluate the links. Do they work? Are
they current?
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Evaluating Internet Sources:
Content
Evaluate the accuracy of the site.
Are the author’s name and credentials provided?
How does it compare to other sources for accuracy of
information?
Is contact information for the author on the site?
Is the information complete or in summary form?
If there are opinions, are they presented clearly as opinions?
Does the writer make unsubstantiated assumptions?
Does the site provide a list of works cited?
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Evaluating Internet Sources:
Content
Evaluate the timeliness of the Web site. Check for:
The date when it was put on the Web.
The date when the document you are using was
added.
The date when the site was last revised.
The date when the links were last checked.
Ask: Does timeliness matter for the topic of the Web
site?
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman
Visit the Companion Website
http://www.ablongman.com/mcwhorter
© 2005 Pearson Education Inc.
Publishing as Longman