Engl 1301 - Arizmendi

TRADITIONAL

FACT-CHECKING

Authority: Who authored (wrote) the site?

• Look for an “About” or “More about the Author” link.
• Some pages will have a corporate author rather than a single person as an author.
• If no information about author(s) of the page is provided, be suspicious. 

Responsibility: Who published the site?

• Look at the domain name of the website to learn who is hosting the site. For instance, the Lee College Library website is: http://www.lee.edu/library/. The domain name is “lee.edu”. That tells you that the library’s website is hosted by Lee College. Do a search on the domain name at http://www.whois.sc/. This site provides information about the owners of registered domain names. 

Purpose: What is the main purpose of the site? Why did the author write it and the publisher post it?  Is it.....

• to sell a product?  (be cautious)
• as a personal hobby?  (be cautious)
• as a public service?  (be cautious)
• to further scholarship on a topic?  (reliable)
• to provide general information on a topic? 
• to persuade you of a particular point of view?  (can be biased)

Quality: What is the quality of information provided on the website?

• Timelines: When was the website first published? Is it regularly updated?
• Citations: Websites that cite their sources are considered more reliable.
• Links on the site: Are links on the site to reputable sites?

Evaluate: How does it all add up?

• Compare the information you’ve gathered about your website to your information needs. Does this website provide an appropriateness of fit (not all websites will work for all purposes). A website that is fine for finding general information on a disease may not work for a nursing student’s paper.
• If you are in doubt, ask your instructor or a librarian for help.