by Jennifer Bromann-Bender, March 2013

The Pregnant Man. Exploding Pop-Tarts. The Tree Octopus. Baby Cages. The Jackalope. And the Online Pregnancy Test (my favorite). We often teach website evaluation using fake websites. These extreme examples show students that we need to evaluate online information because even though it looks real and valuable, it is completely fabricated. Students love these fun examples and realize that not all information out there is accurate. As an example of how easily we can be fooled, my sister bought me a stuffed jackalope for my baby shower, and I said, “Now, the jackalope is not real, right?” But many people at the shower swore that it was, even a librarian. Can students transfer this understanding about what is obviously false to an article on stem cell research, published on a website with a specific viewpoint behind it?

Motivated by the desire to collaborate, promote database use, and be a larger part of the classroom, I developed my own website evaluation tool. I knew what I wanted students to consider so they could make decisions about the validity of the sources they hoped to use. As I showed teachers what I was working on and began working with students, the evaluation form evolved and will likely continue to change.

Available Resources

I love Joyce Valenza’s Power Tools Recharged, a handbook that consists of handouts. I use the resources as a starting point and adapt them to my own needs. Included are the Web Page Evaluation Checklist from Joe Barker (2002) and the CARRDSS method Valenza developed in collaboration with Carol H. Rohrbach. This method includes the categories of credibility, accuracy, reliability, relevance, date, sources behind the text, and scope. In addition, she includes questions like “Why Should I Take This Author Seriously?” as a way to examine the authority of an author. I also looked at the Five Ws of Website Evaluation (who, what, when, where, and why).

After I had developed the form, I attended a workshop that mentioned an online source called the Website Evaluation Wizard from the Illinois Math & Science Academy (http://21cif.com/tools/evaluate). It does not tell you if your source is good or not, but you can enter the answers to various questions and print out a report to hand in to a teacher or for self evaluation. I like this resource since it allows students to complete the evaluation process online as they pull up a website. Wouldn’t it be great if there really were a source where you could submit a URL and a flashing green or red light would indicate if the site is approved?

Gettng Started

It began with the curriculum our district librarians were creating based on the I-SAIL standards from ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association.) We planned to use this curriculum as a starting point for working with teachers based on the skills that the Illinois State Board of Education, AASL (American Association of School Librarians), and ISLMA believed were necessary for our students to master by the end of high school. With the draft of this document in hand, I met with our Reading Department chair Bridget Scheer and our English Department chair Renae Goldie to discuss what knowledge from our curriculum could be combined with the goals for their curriculum. I had mentioned that some teachers had been using our website evaluation form. The English chair was interested in having more classes use this method. She presented the form to her teachers and brought comments back for me so I could make revisions. The original form was a one-page document with little space for notes. The teachers felt that students needed more room to write down their notes. I revised the form, and after working with students and receiving additional suggestions from English teachers, I revised the form again and again. With the support of the English Department, I worked with most classes using this form. We decided that students would complete the form on their own and return it to me, the librarian, for approval (or teachers might choose to “grade” the forms themselves). This can be time consuming, but it is exciting to have a larger part in the research process.

How It Works

I present a 15-minute lesson, showing the students a good and a bad example of a website on a topic related to their assignment while going through the concepts on the evaluation form. Occasionally I have to make adjustments to the time needed, but for most classes the students answer the questions on their own and submit the form to me to review. That is why I wanted the form to be detailed; students should be able to answer most of the questions on their own.

Ideally, I go through the answers and approve the forms. However, most of the students approve their own bad website choices, using the form as a self evaluation tool. So when I get the forms, I often have to look up the websites or review the copies they provide and do further evaluation myself. Also, many of the students do not complete all the steps. Does this defeat the purpose? I do not believe so. I give students feedback on their evaluation of the websites. If they agreed that a website did not include bias, I often point out how the website does include bias. I try to offer students something to consider before they use these sources in their papers.

The goal is also to secretly promote database use. One teacher had me describe all the steps to her students and pointed out how much work it is to thoroughly evaluate a website. The students then realized that it is easier to use the more reliable subscription databases.

Instruction or modeling should guide students through the process of website evaluation. Why not take the opportunity to show them how to conduct a search for more reliable information? I decided to include some pre-searching tips at the beginning of the process.

• Try adding .edu, .org or .gov to your search to locate more reliable sources.Government, organizational, and educational websites are more likely to contain reliable information. Students should be aware that they can do a search for just these websites by adding the domain abbreviations to their searches (e.g., cloning .edu).
  For more scholarly articles, try www.scholar.google.com. Google Scholar may not always provide the best or most full-text hits. However, it is a starting point that could narrow a search and lead students to scholarly or professional resources.
• Use the advanced search in a search engine to search by date and eliminate unwanted information.Most students do not realize that even search engines like Google have an advanced search. Here they can narrow or expand their searches to receive results with a more relevant focus.
• Try a Boolean search (and, or, not) to eliminate unneeded information.Discuss Boolean searching even if it may be the default in the search engine students choose. Other searching techniques, such as phrase searching and truncation, could also be discussed if there is time.
• Use an index such as www.ipl.org. This source features preselected websites that were verified for accuracy by others.Show students an index like Internet Public Library where websites have been preselected. You can also share databases with selected websites. Most have already been determined as reliable sources.
• Try a reliable news source, such as a well-known newspaper or news organization (New York Times, Chicago Tribune, CNN).Students may locate news articles in a general search, but starting off in these sources may avoid wasted search time. Articles from these sources will likely be accepted.

If time is not devoted to pre-searching, students will revert back to their old ways of typing their topics word for word into a search engine and selecting the first results.

Website Evaluation Instruction

After making suggestions about finding a reliable website, instruction on website evaluation can take place. Website evaluation is best explained by showing two examples of articles, one good and one bad, on the same topic. Then model your approach to evaluation.

Whereas the “pregnant man” is obviously not real by the title alone, a website such as Borderland Beat (www.borderlandbeat.com) is more likely to fool students. This was an actual website submitted by a student. The article she had selected looked accurate and may have been true. But the About section of the site listed the founder as Buggs. Buggs, who has roots in Mexico where he has traveled extensively, and J, a collaborator for the site, may be highly qualified individuals, but Buggs and J just aren’t names that are usually used on a reliable website. There is also the statement “Most of the information and content is derived from open source media, unconfirmed individual sources, and personal viewpoint of author. Most content is for information purposes only and is not from direct official sources and in most cases not confirmed. Some content is graphic and discretion is advised.” Would you want to base your research on facts from a site that claims most of their sources are unconfirmed? The site looks valid, but when you investigate further, you find that it’s not as good as it seems.

As part of the instruction, I share an article from Borderland Beat and go through all the questions on the website evaluation form, explaining what to look for and where to find it on a website. If time permits, students can also select random articles to review or go through the steps as a class, using an article of their choice related to their topics.

Student Evaluation

The next step is for the students to evaluate their own website selections. They may ask if they have to fill out a form for a specific website. That is generally up to the teacher. Usually they have to fill one out for each website unless it is from a subscription database. Teachers may not require a form for authoritative sites such as BBC, Chicago Tribune, or CNN since they are likely to be approved. I review the forms and return them to the students or teachers, depending on how the teachers want it handled.

Background Information

What do I need to know to approve students’ selections? For me to approve their website evaluations, I need to know some basic facts, especially the nature of the assignment given to the students. Otherwise I may find myself writing to the teacher to verify if an article with bias would be appropriate for a pro/con paper, if bias was allowed.

Students also need to state their topic. Evaluating a website for relevance can only be accurate if the topic has been specified.

Asking students to include the website title is useful as well. If a student does not provide a copy of the article or write the URL legibly, you need the website title to help locate the article. Students should be instructed on where to find the title. Finally, they should add the URL or provide a copy of the article.

Final Approval

The students may approve themselves, but ideally the librarian should have final approval. I originally only included the categories “A good source” and “Not a good source” to check off. I soon realized that some articles might have a great quote or a good fact, but they were not from the most reliable sources. Or they weren’t the best choice. Due to this, I decided to add an option to check off “Acceptable for a quote or fact, but should not be used as a main source. Better information can be found.” After finding myself constantly writing about bias, I decided to add the evaluation “Acceptable for a research assignment that allows for bias, such as a debate or pro/con paper. This article is from a website with a specific agenda. Be sure to indicate the organization behind the information in your paper. Be careful if using the site for factual information.”

Of course, students will not continue to fill out such a form for every website they use, and they won’t take a stack of them to college. The idea is that, after filling the form out a few times, they will begin to internalize the criteria and think about what makes a good website each time they are searching, even when the librarian is not there. Or they will prefer to use the databases instead.

In the notes section of the website evaluation form I have provided comments on what students should be looking for and what you should be looking for when reviewing the evaluations.

Name____________________________

Teacher____________________________Website Evaluation—Lincoln-Way West High School

Searching for Reliable Sites - Tips

1. Type in your topic and add .edu, .org, or .gov to locate more reliable sources.
2. Try www.scholar.google.com for more scholarly articles.
3. Use the search engine’s advanced search function to search by date and eliminate unwanted information.
4. Try a Boolean search (and, or, not) to eliminate unneeded information.
5. Use an index such as www.ipl.org. This source has preselected websites that were verified for accuracy by others.
6. Try a reliable news source, such as a well-known newspaper or news organization (New York Times, Chicago Tribune, CNN).

Topic:Assignment:Website title:URL/Address:
(Please write clearly or attach the article, including URL.)

Questions to Consider:Notes (answer as many of the following questions as possible with proof):Is this a reliable site based on these questions?
Yes/No

Domain and URL:

1. What is the domain? (.edu, .org, and .gov are more reliable, although .com is often reliable too. Just because it is a .org site does not make it automatically reliable)
2. Search link:yourURL. This will identify if your selected website was linked from any other site. Are the sites reliable?
3. Check the URL in online databases to see if it has been cited in articles.
4. Is the article from a reliable news source such as New York Times, Chicago Tribune, or CNN, etc.? These are automatically acceptable, but make sure you find the article on the actual news website to be sure it is not a fake.Although .edu, .org, and .gov are generally more reliable, they may also exhibit bias or inaccuracy. If on the fence, these would generally be approved, but should still be checked. Search for the URL in a search engine by typing in the address, using link:yourURL or in databases. Was this website linked to other reliable (or unreliable) sites? Demonstrate this approach to students. Most teachers will automatically approve sites from reliable news sources. Inform students that some websites will fake an article and put a newspaper logo above it. Students should make sure the article was originally published in the news source.

Credibility/Authority:

1. Who is the author? A professor/expert/scholar/researcher?
2. Any credentials listed?
3. What do you find when you search for the author’s name in a search engine or subscription database?
4. Who is the sponsor of this site? Is the organization credible? Check Wikipedia or use a search engine for more information.

One of the main things to look for is whether or not an author is listed and credentials can be found. If they are a staff reporter or have an educational background in the field for which they are writing about, they are generally approved. This may need to be sought out beyond the original website. What is even more important is the organization behind it. Often, if you search deep enough, you find a religious or political organization behind the facts. This may indicate bias. The student should check another online source to find out more about the legitimacy of that organization.

Date:

1. When was this website created and updated?
2. Does your information need to be more current or can it be historical?Look for a current date or one that is relevant to the time you are researching.

Sources:

1. Were credible sources used?
2. Are references from other articles or websites cited?
3. Copy and paste some of the references into a search engine.

Are these sources cited elsewhere? Do they really exist?It takes a lot of work to conduct a precise search. However, it is a good idea to look for references. If none are provided, it is a red flag. Where is all this information coming from? The references should be within the article or listed somewhere on the page. They should be checked to make sure they are real sources.

Bias:

1. Does the author or organization argue only one side of an issue?
2. Is the purpose to promote a specific agenda? If it is one-sided and your purpose is to argue this point of view in a debate or pro/con paper, the website may be acceptable if you identify the organization behind the opinions. If you are writing a factual paper, you may want to look for a different site. For example, is the information from a political website?Students need to consider whether or not they can include articles with bias for a particular assignment. Often this would be appropriate if arguing an issue. Students should still identify the organization behind the article or ideas, or explain an opposing view from another organization. Sometimes the purpose of a website will identify this. The organization itself is a big clue into whether or not the article and information is biased.

Accuracy:

1. Can you verify the facts in other sources? Double-check the facts by searching for them on other sites or in a book.
2. Based on your own knowledge, does the information seem accurate?Students often respond that they know the facts are correct. They should also try to provide evidence. Even if they cannot verify facts for obscure information, the website may still be reliable. Ask students to consult a book or search for a fact on another website. Bob Marley\92s birthday has been listed incorrectly in different sources. If the article has information a student really wants to use, but the website is questionable, they may find the information from a more credible source by searching the content of the article.

Relevance:

1. Does this source answer your questions and support your topic/thesis/hypothesis?The student would best be able to answer this question. Look at their topic provided and compare. Tell students to skim the article or use the \93find\94 option to search for key terms to help confirm relevance.

Appearance:

1. Does the website have a professional appearance? (This can also be misleading.)
2. Does the information appear to be as good or better than a journal article?Show some examples of professional-looking websites which are fakes. Show examples of websites that are littered with ads.

This website is
____A good source

____Not a good source

____Not Recommended
____Acceptable for a quote or fact, but should not be used as a main source. Better information can be found.
____Acceptable for a research assignment that allows for bias, such as a debate or pro/con paper. This article is from a website with a specific agenda. Be sure to indicate the organization behind the information in your paper. Be careful if using the site for factual information.

Comments:
__ Credible author provided

__ References included

__ Reliable organization/news organization

Created by J. Bromann-Bender, 2010/2011