Source Credibility

A website is biased when:

• doesn't tell the whole story

• is trying to convince you to take a side

• it contains opinion instead of fact and is prejudiced and not impartial

• all of the above

The _________ of a website has to do with what the creator is trying to accomplish, such as sell something or just provide information.

• price
• strategy
• purpose
• plan

An attitude that favors some ideas or people over others.

• accuracy

• bias

• credibility

• verify

Which source would you expect to be more reliable?

• Wikipedia.com

• ilovehistory.com

• USNationalArchives.gov

• conspiracies.com

When using a website as a source for a research paper, you want to use a website who's purpose is to...

• Persuade you

• Sell you something

• Share an idea

• Inform you

When was the information published? Is the information current? Has the information been updated?

• Currency

• Relevance

• Authority

• Accuracy

• Purpose

Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question? Who is the intended audience? Have you looked at a variety of sources? Would you be comfortable using this source for your research?

• Currency

• Relevance

• Authority

• Accuracy

• Purpose

Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? What are the author's qualifications? Does the URL reveal anything about the author/source: .com; .gov; .edu; .org; OR .net?

• Currency

• Relevance

• Authority

• Accuracy

• Purpose

Where does the information come from? Is the information supported by evidence? Can you verify the information in another source or from personal knowledge? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Has the information been reviewed?

• Currency

• Relevance

• Authority

• Accuracy

• Purpose

When you evaluate a source, you should look for:

• the author, date and title

• just the information you need