Searching on the Web
Parents and students are reminded to always use
caution when accessing any Web sites.
Evaluating a Web Site
WHAT MAKES A WEB SITE GOOD?
When you're surfing the Web, you probably only think about one thing when you're looking at a site: whether or not it's fun.
But when you're looking for information on the Web for school -- or
really any time that you care that what you find is true and up-to-date
-- you have to evaluate the site to make sure that you can trust the
information on it.
Here are some questions to ask when you're looking at a site that will help you decide whether or not it's good:
Who made it?
Anyone can make a Web page. In fact, not only can anyone make a Web
page, anyone can make a Web page and lie about who they are! You could
make a Web page that said you were Eminem, and no one would stop you
from putting it on the Web. But sites that really belong to the people
they say they belong to have some things in common:
There's some way to contact the people responsible for the site;
usually an email address, sometimes a phone number and street address,
too. Pages within the site look similar: they may have the same
background color, or there will be the same logo on every page. Pages
within the site link back to the home page, and to elsewhere in the
site. The site shows signs of being proofread; there are no spelling or
grammar errors. If you're going to use information from a site for a
school project, think about getting it from a Web site that you already
know will have good information, such as a the site of a library, a
school, or a museum. Often, libraries, schools, and museums will have
links on their sites to other sites that they have already evaluated
for quality and accuracy. The Multnomah County Library Homework Center
(www.multcolib.org/homework/) is a good place to start looking for any
homework-related information.
When was it last updated?
Look for a 'last updated' date near the top or bottom of the site's
home page. If a site has been updated recently, that's generally a good
sign. It means someone's paying attention to the site, making sure
links still work, maybe changing parts of it to reflect more recent
news or research. But it's not always necessary for a site to have been
updated recently for it to be valuable. For instance, if a site
provides the full text of Shakespeare's sonnets, that text isn't going
to change, so it's not necessary for it to be frequently updated.
Is it clear what it's about?
You should be able to tell why a Web site exists, and what information
it's trying to provide. If the purpose of the site is confusing or
unclear, that's a good sign that you should look for a different site.
Are there a lot of ads?
Ads can be long, rectangular banners at the top or bottom of the
screen, or sometimes they are on the left or right side of the screen.
It's not always easy to recognize all the ads on a page; sometimes ads
will look like messages from your computer, or just like part of the
site that you're looking at. Teach yourself to spot ads, and be aware
that if a site has a lot of ads, you may want to think twice about
whether the information on it is unbiased. However, many valuable sites
do contain advertising to help support themselves.
Is it easy to find the information you need?
You won't always be able to find exactly what you need right on the
very first page of the first Web site you go to. Looking at different
places and gathering information from them is what doing research
means. But if it's very hard for you to find the information you need,
and especially if it seems that information from one part of the site
contradicts another part, you may want to try another site.
Sometimes, there is no good Web site.
If you're having a really hard time finding anything for the topic
you're interested in, you may want to look elsewhere: in books,
magazines, or newspapers. Also, remember that you can always ask a
librarian for help searching for any kind of information you need!
-- Sara Ryan, Multnomah County Library School Corps Librarian
http://www.multcolib.org/homework/webeval.html
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