Step 6 - Evaluating the Internet

Searching the Internet

This semester you will complete a variety of activities and assessments that will require you to find and/or review information thus it is important that you understand how to evaluate the credibility of information on the Internet and printed sources. No matter how experienced you think you are you must review the links below which clearly describe my expectations of the quality of work you will be submitting this semester.

If you have never completed a tutorial on how to search the Internet, I strongly recommend completing the tutorial below published by the University of South Carolina. It provides a thorough comparison of web directories, search engines, and meta-search engines and if you didn't understand what was just said you definitely need to review this link:

http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml

Evaluating Websites

Anytime that you use cited work for this class or look for information it is imperative that you evaluate the credibility of the source. American River College has posted a link which details some criteria you should examine when evaluating a website to be used as a source in your writing. Regardless of comfort on the Internet, it is important that all students familiarize themselves with these criteria.

http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html

Becoming a Critical Thinker

Once you have developed the skills to evaluate sources on the Internet you are on your way to becoming a critical thinker! Try to avoid citing sources that are hosted on a wiki, blog, or discussion forum. Instead you should be citing vetted sources. How do you know if a source is vetted? Here are some things to look for:

• Is the author listed (with a link to his/her credentials) or is it a renown organization?
• Is the author/organization unbiased and/or non-partisan?
• Does the webpage list references?

Also as a general rule in my class, you are expected to cite at least 3 sources in all submissions. This means that you should cite your textbook and at least 2 other vetted sources in all discussions and in your book review. Here are some helpful links to hone your critical thinking skills, as posted on the Nashville State Community College Critical Thinking Initiative's website:

• Good critical thinkers deliberate.
• Strong thinkers are able to recognize complexities and work within them.
• Good critical thinkers are curious.
• All critical thinkers share a desire to seek the truth.
• Critical thinkers communicate clearly and logically.
• Good thinkers are fair minded. They consider multiple points of view.
• Critical thinkers share intellectual empathy.
• Good thinkers demonstrate integrity and intellectual courage.
• Strong critical thinkers are able to develop reasonable conclusions using analysis, evaluation, inference, and deduction.

You've finished Step 6 of the Online Orientation. Now it's time to move on to

Step 7 - Avoiding Plagiarism