Page 393 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade8_Flipbook

Evaluating Online Sources
The URL
What is its domain?
• .com = a for-profit organization
• .gov, .mil, .us (or other country code) = a government site • .edu = an educational institution
• .org = a nonprofit organization
• Is this URL someone’s personal page?
• Why might using information from a personal page be a problem?
• Do you recognize who is publishing this page?
• If not, you may need to investigate further to determine whether the publisher is an expert
on the topic.
Sponsor:
• Does the web site easily give information about the organization or group that sponsors it? • Does it have a link (often called “About Us”) that leads you to that information?
• What do you learn?
Timeliness:
• When was the page last updated (usually this is posted at the top or bottom of the page)? • How current a page is may indicate how accurate or useful the information in it will be.
Purpose:
• What is the purpose of the page?
• What is its target audience?
• Does it present information or opinion? • Is it primarily objective or subjective? • How do you know?
Author:
• What credentials does the author have?
• Is this person or group considered an authority on the topic?
Links
• Does the page provide links?
• Do they work?
• Are they helpful?
• Are they objective or subjective?
366 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 8
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