Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021
Assess web sources with special care
Evaluating sources
Research
Before using a web source in your paper, make sure you know who created the material and for what purpose. Sources with reliable information can stand up to scrutiny. As you evaluate sources, ask questions about their reliability and purpose.
Evaluating a website: Checking reliability
1. This page on Internet monitoring and privacy appears on a website sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The NCSL is a bipartisan group that provides support and information to state lawmakers. The URL ending .org marks this sponsor as a nonprofit organization.
2. A clear date of publication shows currency.
3. An “About Us” page confirms that this is a credible organization whose credentials can be verified.
Evaluating a website: Checking purpose
1. The site is sponsored by a company that specializes in employee-monitoring software.
2. Repeated links for trial downloads and purchase suggest the site’s intended audience: consumers seeking to purchase software (probably not researchers seeking detailed information about employees’ use of the Internet in the workplace).
3. The site appears to provide information and even shows statistics from studies, but ultimately the purpose of the site is to sell a product.
VIDEO
For more tips on evaluating sources, watch "How to evaluate a source."
HOW TO
Detect false and misleading sources
Sources can distort information or spread misinformation by taking information out of context or by promoting opinions as facts. As you evaluate sources, determine authenticity: Can the information be verified? Is the source reliable? You can verify facts and quotations by reading multiple sources and gathering a variety of perspectives. Because information and misinformation live side by side on the web, you need to read critically to determine the truth.
1. Consider the source. Is more than one source covering the topic? Is the author anonymous or named? What can you learn about the author’s credentials and the mission of a site from checking the “About Us” tab? Does the site present only one side of an issue? Be skeptical if the source is the only one reporting the story. |
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2. Examine the source’s language. Is the language informal? Does the source overuse superlatives such as most, best, or worst? Does it use the second-person pronoun you? |
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3. Question the seriousness of the source. Is the source attempting to mimic a reliable source? Is it possible that the source is satirical and humorous and is not intended to be read as factual? |
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4. Fact-check the information. Can the facts be objectively verified? If the conclusions of a research study are cited, find the study to verify; if an authority is quoted, research the original source of the quotation, if possible, to see whether the quotation was taken out of context. Also, be skeptical if a source reports a research study but doesn’t quote the study’s principal investigator or other respected researchers. |
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5. Pay attention to the URL. Among the more credible sites are those sponsored by higher education (.edu), nonprofit groups (.org), and government agencies (.gov). Established news organizations have standard domain names. Fake sites often use web addresses such as “Newslo” or “com.co” that imitate the addresses of real sites, and they package information with misinformation to make themselves look authentic. |
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6. Note your biases. If an article makes you angry or challenges your beliefs, or if it confirms your beliefs by ignoring evidence to the contrary, take notice, and try to be as objective as possible. Learn about an issue from reliable sources and from multiple perspectives. |
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