Evaluating My Sources:
How Reliable Are They?
Activity
3.31
SUGGESTED LEARNING STRATEGIES: Graphic Organizer, Brainstorming, Think-Pair-Share, Word Map
Evaluating Online Resources
Anyone can publish on the World Wide Web. This is both one of the
strengths and one of the flaws of the Internet. If you plan to use online
sources, you must be aware of the differences in quality that exist
among Web sites. The following is a list of criteria by which you should
judge any Internet sources. You want to be able to answer “yes” to as
many of the questions as possible to consider the source reliable.
Criteria
Accuracy
Question
#1
#2
Is the site free from grammatical and typographical errors?
Do the links and graphics operate properly?
Was the information verified by a third party?
Validity or
Objectivity
Does the information appear to be well researched?
Is there a bibliography or list of sources?
Is there a statement about the purpose of the site?
Is there a place to note and communicate errors on the site?
Does the site appear to be free from bias or a single position?
Authority
Are the author’s name and qualifications clearly identified?
© 2010 College Board. All rights reserved.
Does the URL address match the site’s name?
Does the site identify itself as a .gov site in its address?
Does the author appear to be well qualified to write on the
subject?
Does this site identify itself as an .edu site in its address?
Currency and
Uniqueness
Does the date the site was last updated appear?
Has the site been updated recently?
Are any parts of the site “under construction”?
Are the majority of the articles on the site a part of that site (as
opposed to links to other sites)?
Coverage
Does the site seem to cover the topic fully?
Are there other, related topics discussed on the site?
Is there a resources section with links to other sites?
Unit 3 • Our Choices and Life’s Lessons 231
Evaluating My Sources:
How Reliable Are They?
Activity 3.31
continued
A Tale of Two Sites
Closely examine the two Web sites that your teacher gives you, using
the checklist on the previous page. For each row, write “yes” or “no”
in column 1 for the first site and column 2 for the second site. Then
evaluate the quality of the articles on the scales below.
Site 1: http://www.
Site 2: http://www.
Accuracy: Is the content of the article relevant and reliable?
Extremely Accurate
Somewhat
Accurate
Not
Accurate
Somewhat
Valid
Not
Valid
Validity: Does the content fit our research needs?
Extremely Valid
Authority: Is the author an expert? What are his or her qualifications?
Extremely Authoritative
Somewhat
Authoritative
Not
Authoritative
Somewhat
Current
Not
Current
Currency: When was the content written?
Extremely Current
Coverage: Did the article fully cover the topic or just a piece of it?
Extremely Well Covered
Which of the two sites would you trust more? Why?
232 SpringBoard® English Textual Power™ Level 2
Somewhat
Covered
Not Well
Covered
© 2010 College Board. All rights reserved.
Activity 3.31
continued
Domain Suffixes
Some Internet sites may contain more valid information than others.
One way to know whether a Web site is valid is by its domain suffix.
The domain name is the Web address, or Internet identity. The domain
suffix, the three letters that follow the “dot,” is the category in which
that Web site falls. The most commonly used domain suffixes are
defined below.
Domain Suffix
Definition/Description
.com
Stands for “commercial.” Usually, Web sites with this suffix intend to make some
sort of profit from their Internet services. Typically these are the Web sites that sell
goods or services.
.org
Stands for “organization.” Primarily used by not-for-profit groups such as charities
and professional organizations.
.net
Stands for “network.” Used by Internet service providers or Web-hosting companies.
.edu
Stands for “education.” Used by major universities or educational organizations or
other institutions.
.gov
Stands for “government.” Used by U.S. government sites.
© 2010 College Board. All rights reserved.
Every Web site has its place and its purpose. Use the information about
domain suffixes to answer the questions below:
1. Which domain suffix(es) would you look for in Web sites when
conducting research for Embedded Assessment 2?
2. Which domain suffix(es) would you look for when conducting
research on a new law that is being passed?
3. Which domain suffix(es) would you look for when researching the
best kind of cell phone to purchase next?
4. What domain suffix(es) would you look for when researching a new
Internet provider for your parents to use?
Unit 3 • Our Choices and Life’s Lessons 233