Website Credibility
Website Credibility
Credible Websites vs. Non-credible Websites
Gathering information for academic purposes is very different nowadays. We not only have libraries to do research, we now have the Internet. There are numerous sources we can gather information from while searching the Internet, but we have to be careful in choosing a site that has credibility. A credible website is one that will have verifiable facts and credible editors who approve the validity of the facts (also known as gatekeepers); whereas, a non-credible website will have something or lack of something that will make you question its credibility. A non-credible website will also have questionable sources.
Let’s say I wanted to do research on the costs of housing within the city of San Diego:
Credible Website: http://homes.realestate.signonsandiego.com/ * It’s an authoritive site which equals credibility. * The San Diego Union-Tribune is one of the oldest local newspaper companies in SD so I’m sure their reputation is very important to them. * Known companies like San Diego County Credit Union, Citibank, and Facebook have advertisements on website. * Affiliated with one of the largest vehicle listings site, AutoTrader.com, Inc. * According to the history on the “About the Union-Tribune” page, the newspaper won numerous awards over the years, including four Pulitzer Prizes.
Non-credible Website: http://www.assist2own.com/ * I can’t determine who wrote or published the site. * It looks professional but the “About Us” page doesn’t really give any solid history about the company so it makes me question its credibility. * There are no clues pointing to the credibility of the writer. * Seems like the writer’s motivation is to get people to sign up for the website just to give up their personal information. * With all of the above clues, it leads me to believe this website may be an unreliable source.
References:
About the union-tribune.
Credible Websites vs. Non-credible Websites
Gathering information for academic purposes is very different nowadays. We not only have libraries to do research, we now have the Internet. There are numerous sources we can gather information from while searching the Internet, but we have to be careful in choosing a site that has credibility. A credible website is one that will have verifiable facts and credible editors who approve the validity of the facts (also known as gatekeepers); whereas, a non-credible website will have something or lack of something that will make you question its credibility. A non-credible website will also have questionable sources.
Let’s say I wanted to do research on the costs of housing within the city of San Diego:
Credible Website: http://homes.realestate.signonsandiego.com/ * It’s an authoritive site which equals credibility. * The San Diego Union-Tribune is one of the oldest local newspaper companies in SD so I’m sure their reputation is very important to them. * Known companies like San Diego County Credit Union, Citibank, and Facebook have advertisements on website. * Affiliated with one of the largest vehicle listings site, AutoTrader.com, Inc. * According to the history on the “About the Union-Tribune” page, the newspaper won numerous awards over the years, including four Pulitzer Prizes.
Non-credible Website: http://www.assist2own.com/ * I can’t determine who wrote or published the site. * It looks professional but the “About Us” page doesn’t really give any solid history about the company so it makes me question its credibility. * There are no clues pointing to the credibility of the writer. * Seems like the writer’s motivation is to get people to sign up for the website just to give up their personal information. * With all of the above clues, it leads me to believe this website may be an unreliable source.
References:
About the union-tribune.
References: About the union-tribune. http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/about/ut/index.html Research tutorials. (2008, Octorber 20). Evaluating websites tutorial [Video clip]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_qR5lpnXBE