Good Source/ Bad Source

 

Assignment:

 

The internet can be a very valuable tool, but sometimes the sites we visit are not the most academically reliable sources.  Your task is to find both examples of reliable and unreliable internet sources.  Using your research topic as a guide, you are responsible for finding four examples of each (four good sources/ four bad sources), and then listing at least five reasons (for each source) why a source is good or bad.  Try to go beyond simply stating something like…“this source does not properly document information,” and explain why the source you are evaluating is or is not sufficient for your particular project.  Please paste the web address for each website into your document, next to the corresponding source.  That way I can look at the sites to which you are referring.  *Feel free to use any of your reliable sources for your research paper.

 

Email me your source evaluations by 5:00pm, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009 [or anytime before…but no later than Monday].  When I have checked all of your evaluations, I will select one or two from each to post on this site.  


**Read and refer to Longman pages 165, and “Web and Internet Resources” 166-175.  You’ll find section 22d “Evaluating Web and Internet Sources” (pp172-174) especially helpful.  

 

Also take a look at Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages , Evaluating Sources, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

 

 

So….

 

1 topic (your research topic)

 

four reliable sources

-listing five reasons per source

             &

four unreliable sources

-listing five reasons per source

 

(that’s 8 sources total, 5 reasons per source)

 

 

 

                                                          Example for a reliable source:

                                                                        Source 1 (name of source and link to website)

                                                                                      1. reason the source is reliable

                                                                                      2. reason the source is reliable

                                                                                      3. reason the source is reliable

                                                                                      4. reason the source is reliable

                                                                                      5. reason the source is reliable

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

1.)                This website has a “.gov” web address, meaning that it is an official government site.

2.)                The site is backed by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services Department, which is a respected organization.

3.)                There is a toll free number listed where one can call with any problems or comments, as well as an email address.

4.)                The source offers the full text of many official documents, including both present and past versions.

5.)                The website looks very professional features many different links, such as search options and press releases related to immigration. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah E.  Minegar, 2007-2009

Drew University