Evaluating Online Resources

Evaluating Online Resources

Weekly Project for K200 Microcomputer Applications in
Kinesiology
By Margaret Lion

INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE: This weekly project will aid in identifying reliable sources
from the Web.

TASKS: Read the Website Research: Home pages from the Central Michigan University Libraries
found linked in this document and on the class Website.
1. Go to Website Research: Home hosted by Central Michigan University Libraries
2. You will see gold and maroon tabs towards the top of the page. These are the links you will use to
complete the project.
3. Read the Website Research: Home page. You do not need to click on any of the links in the page.
4. When finished, go to URLs Webpage and read.
5. Continue this process through all of the tabs: CRAAP Test, Evaluating Example Websites, Fake
News, Wikipedia References, and Open Access Resources.
6. Once finished reading the Webpages, download the Evaluating-Online-Resources-Weely-
Project-SPHK200.docx file.
7. Save it as Lastname_Firstname_Evaluating_Online_Resources.docx.
8. Answer the below questions using the Website Research: Home pages as reference.
9. When finished answering the questions, save the file and back it up in Box @ IU and a USB
stick.
10. Submit the document for grading in Evaluating Online Resources in Assignments.

Questions:
1. Can Websites have information that is current and reliable for scholarly research?
- Yes! Sometimes websites aren’t the most scholarly, but they can still have information that is
current, relevant, accurate, reliable, and unbiased. You want to make sure the source is credible.
2. List the Website URL types that can generally be trusted for containing reliable information for
research.
- .edu; .gov; and .mil
3. Who developed the CRAAP Test?
- Librarians at California State University - Chico
4. What does CRAAP stand for?
- Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose
5. Scroll to the bottom of the Evaluating Example Websites page to find the Apply the CRAAP Test -
Nutrition Resource text box. State below which Website(s) you would use for research purposes and
why.

By Margaret Lion 2019© Updated 2020 1

Evaluating Online Resources

- The Nutrition Source and ChooseMyPlate because they are .edu and .gov websites that were
designed and are maintained by experts in the field of nutrition and dieting.

6. Have you ever been fooled by a Fake New site? Describe it below. (Don’t be embarrassed, Ms.
Lion has been fooled too.)
- I can’t recall specifically if I have, but I am sure at some point in my life I have. I always see people
reposting articles on Facebook from sources that are fake and believe every word that is said.
7. What does the Website Research: Wikipedia References page suggest the reader use for help in
research?
- The references and external links at the END of the articles
8. Wikipedia has a Marvel Cinematic Universe page. Find Reference number 5 on the page. Read the
reference article. Write below what makes you believe it is true. NOTES: 1.) If you do not know what
Bloomberg is, do a Google search. 2.) If asked DO NOT pay for anything.
- Some of the reasons I would believe that this is true are because it looks like a reliable source and
has all of the details from an article that would be true. It has an author and a date and time published.
9. According to the Website Research: Open Access Resources page, what is public domain works?
- items that have fallen out of copyright protections
10. How are open access resources different from public domain works?
- open access authors have chosen to share freely, so anyone can use the works legally without
permission or fees – they’re made available to the general public

Criteria for Success: Grading Rubric.

This project is worth 20 points, each question being worth 2 point. Question will be graded on 1. Correct
answer and 2. Enough information has been given so grader/instructor does not have to ponder meaning
of answer.

By Margaret Lion 2019© Updated 2020 2