Evaluating online information is tricky, you need to make sure the source is, reputable, reliable, up to date and relevant. Use the 5 W checklist to help you to decide.
WHO...is the author, are they an expert, can you find out more about them i.e. do they have a bio?
WHAT...do they say about the purpose of the site, what else does the author have in mind, what makes the site easy to use and what other information is there?
WHEN...was the site create and last updated?
WHERE... does the information come from, where was the site created and where can I look for more information?
WHY... is this information useful, why should I use it and why is it better then other sites?
What's in a domain?
The website domain can give you an indication of how trustworthy the information is. Each domain prefix stands for a different organsiation.
'What is Fake News?'
This video defines fake news, explains and providing examples of hoaxes, scams, clickbait, jokes, advertising, spin, propaganda, satire and sensationalism.
‘What is fake news’ 2020, Clickview, Sydney.
'Can you spot fake news?'
Check your ability to distinguish real news from fake news.
‘Can you spot fake news?’ 2020, Clickview, Sydney.
Finding text on a page
Pressing CRTL F, you can search for any word on any webpage. This will help you to evaluate how useful the information is to you.
Search Operators
Simple operators you can use to minimise your results:
Minus sign (-) eliminate irrelevant results by ignoring sources that contain the term after the minus sign. There is no space after the minus sign i.e. dogs -puppies
OR combines to different terms. Google will look for results that include both terms. i.e. dogs OR cats
This video walks you through how to engage in synthesis in order to take research from multiple sources, your own arguments and turn it into a research paper.
An introduction to using different sources when you conduct research