Choose A Better Site
Start with websites that have been evaluated by a experts.
UWG Subject Guides include related websites that have been vetted by a librarian.
These directories feature websites vetted by professionals.
Internet Public Library
Librarian's Internet Index
Infomine
AcademicInfo
What Wrong's With The Internet?
The World Wide Web can be a terrific resource. So why do your teachers hate the Internet so much? The Internet's greatest feature is its greatest drawback: anyone can publish anything. It is easy to publish without double-checking facts, to skew information, to lie. When students do a quick Google search to find information, they may only use the first couple results without much thought to who created them and why.
Google describes site "Martin Luther King-A
True Historical Examination" as:
The truth about Martin Luther King: Includes historical trivia, articles and pictures. A valuable resource for teachers and students alike.
URL: http://www.martinlutherking.org/
The homepage
contains a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and links to pages called Death of
a Dream, Historical Writings, and Learn More About Kwanzaa. It’s
presented in a clean and respectable fashion. It's even a top ten result
on Google! However, a closer examination reveals links to Why the King Holiday
Should Be Repealed and Black Invention Myths. The site is actually hosted
by Stormfront, a white supremacist group, and is highly racist.
To avoid using incorrect or malicious sites, be sure to evaluate each website you use. Consider the following:
- Publisher. Who published it? Who hosts it? Are they well established and reputable? Find an About Us page.
- Author. Who wrote it? Are they identified? What are their credentials?
- Intended Purpose. Why was the site created: to inform, to convince, to sell?
- Intended Audience. Who is it written for: students, children, professionals, etc?
- Use Google's link: search to find who links to that page.
- Currency. When was it published? When was it lasted updated? Is it frequently changed or updated?
- Accuracy. How accurate is the information? Does it make sense with what you already know? Do others agree? Does it cite its sources?
- Check the URL.
- Tildas (~) usually mean a personal page
- URL extensions tell you who published a site. (.edu=school, .gov=goverment site, .mil=military, etc)
- Country Codes tell you want country hosted the site. (.uk=United Kingdom, .ca=Canada, etc)
Subject Librarian |
Jean CookDescription
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