Wading through the Web and
Citations
Q: Why is it important to evaluate
the credibility of a website?
A: To ensure that the information is
accurate!!
• Anyone can make a website
• How many websites are there on the internet?
Guess!
According to an article featured on
CNN, Kevin Kelly, a founder of Wired
magazine, has written that there are
at least a trillion Web pages in
existence.
A group called the World Wide Web
Foundation are working to find out an
exact number.
With over a trillion websites at your
fingertips, how do you determine
which sites are credible for your
research?
http://www.youtube.com/user/iLearningServi
ces#p/u/10/gx3RiK_aceQ
A good place to start is at the domain name.
If it is:
--.gov - U.S. government site - http://www.whitehouse.gov
--.edu – accredited or reputable college or university http://www.ufl.edu/ Or http://www.utk.edu/
--.com – a commercial site that is created for a profit or to make
money - http://www.amazon.com
--.org – typically a non-profit organization http://www.cancer.org/
-- .net – a network infrastructure (often used for a server that
hosts Web sites for others) – http://www.rr1.net
Beyond the domain name, carefully evaluate the site
itself. Use the following guide: credcheck.pdf
Indicators of website credibility:
1) Author or organization credibility
2) Purpose (Content)
3) Domain
4) Currency (how current is the info?)
5) Overall design
What about
From the horse’s mouth…
In an interview with Business Week, a reporter
asked Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia,
the following question: “Do you think students
and researchers should cite Wikipedia?”
Wales replied: “No, I don’t think people should
cite it. Wikipedia and other encyclopedias
should give good, solid background information
to inform your studies for a deeper level.”
MLA
• Who knows what “MLA” stands for??
The Modern Language Association
MLA style is used in the majority of language
arts education as the preferred style.
In-text parenthetical citations vs.
Works Cited
• Both are required
• Parenthetical citations vary based on
source or format
Works Cited
(in alphabetical order)
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action."
Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental
Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on
Climate Change.” New York Times. New York
Times, May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.
Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An
Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis Guggenheim.
Rogerebert.com. Sun-Times News Group, 2 June
2006. Web. 24 May 2009.
Citation Generators
http://www.citationmachine.net/index2.php
http://www.easybib.com
http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index
.php
Parenthetical Citation Basics:
The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in
parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page
number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the
text of the sentence.
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a
"spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the
creative process (263).
Parenthetical citations for websites
Include in the text the first item that appears
in the Work Cited entry that corresponds
to the citation (e.g. author name, article
name, website name, film name).
Ex:
Job is expected to grow by 10.2 % over the
next five years (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Works Cited
Kemper, Mariah. Jacob is Amazing. Vol. 2.
Los Angeles: Guy Johnson Inc., 2011. 3.
Print.
Ms. Rathmann is Amazing. Ed. Kylie Evans.
Riverdale, 16 Jan. 2001. Web. 13 Oct.
2011. <www.rathmannrocks.com>.
Education
• In 2011, the farming industry will grow by
10 %
• Lsdhif;lashf;lasdfh
• Lkushdgkljsdgh
• Ksjdhfkljsdgh
• ;asjlghklsdfjgh
(Kemper, Mariah)
Home Life
• Ms. Rathmann has a dog named Simon
(Ms. Rathmann is Amazing)
Book Citation
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place
of Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication. Medium of Publication.
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House.
Denver: MacMurray, 1999. Print.
A website citation
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of
Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization
affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of
resource creation (if available). Medium of publication.
Date of access.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory.
Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.
(According to MLA, the URL can be left out unless the
source cannot be identified without it. I do not require
you include the URL. Always confirm with individual
instructors.)
Exit Ticket
1. List the 3 of the 5 indicators of website
credibility.
2. T or F: A “.com” website is never credible.
3. T or F: Wikipedia is considered a valid source
for background information.
4. A “.gov” website is created by what?
5. A “.edu” website is created by what?