Evaluating Information
Freshman History
Introduction Task Resources Process Conclusion
As students, you are information consumers. You want to be sure the sources you use are credible. If you are unsure of an author's credentials, you might have difficulty defending use of his or her work in your documentation. Your teacher is likely to question you if you quote an expert who is unknown. Do a little legwork before you complete your project. Think carefully before you include a source in your bibliography. Not all Web resources are created equal. If fact, there are great variations in the quality of the resources you access. The rule of thumb is "when in doubt, doubt." When you carefully select your resources, when you understand their strengths and limits, you create better products.
You will be evaluating sources of information on the topic assigned by your classroom teacher. You will be evaluating these sources using the following five criteria: Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage.
You will be responsible for completing an evaluation chart, focusing on the 5 criteria for evaluating sources. Choose two from the following websites to evaluate. Choose one that you feel is a good source and one that you feel is not a good source.
| Ancient Greece British Museum | Cradle of Western Civilization | Archaic and Classical Greece | Ancient Greece & Rome |
| Welcome to Ancient Greece | Ancient-Greece | Ancient Greek Civilization | Ancient Greece |
You will need two evaluation charts. Complete the charts for the two websites you chose from above.
After completing each chart you will write a 5-8 sentence explanation of why each is or is not a good source.
Remember to include the five areas of criteria when writing your explanation.
You will be graded on your written explanation and how well you are able to defend your decision of whether the website is or is not a good source.
You will find yourself using the Internet for information. The Internet is only one of a variety of information options. Remember that journals, books, videos and other sources are available as well. Evaluating information is a skill you will be using throughout your lifetime.