Using Credible Internet Sources

What does this mean for us?

 Choose sources that are reviewed for accuracy.

 Academic journals online are nearly always peer reviewed.

 Look for websites marked .edu or .gov – this means they are
published by an educational or governmental institution.
 Look for websites known to be authorities on the subject (like,
NASA for space exploration).
 Well-known periodicals (ex. The New York Times) generally
report factually and objectively – the articles are edited before
being published.
 Why wouldn’t we want to use Wikipedia?

 Let’s take a look at Wikipedia’s “about us” page…

“Wikipedia is written collaboratively by

largely anonymous Internet volunteers
who write without pay. Anyone with
Internet access can write and make
changes to Wikipedia articles…”
 Questions to ask yourself

 Who is the author? What qualifies him/her to speak

on the subject?
 Who is sponsoring this website? Are any biases at
play?
 Where did she/he get this information?
 Can you verify this information from another source?
 When was the website published?
 Has it been updated recently?
 Sometimes sites LOOK credible…but aren’t

 http://www.teensuicidestatistics.com/
 http://www.teendepression.org/
Let’s Practice

Would this be
a credible
source for the
sample essay
we read?
 Let’s Practice (cont.)

What
about
this
site?
Why?
 Brainstorm

Jot answers to the following:

 What credible organizations might have done
research into your topic?
 What would make someone qualified to speak on
your topic?

Discuss your answers with the person next to you. Can

you think of any tips for your partner?
 When searching online, use keywords!

 For instance, in our example about teen suicide

rates, I might enter “teenage,” “suicide,” and
“America” into the search box.
 If you don’t get results, try using synonyms.
 Instead of “teenage,” I might try “adolescent.”
 I also might replace “America” with “United States” and see if I
get more hits.
 Brainstorm

 What keywords will you use

to research your topic? Jot
down three or more.
 Alone or with a partner,
come up with a synonym for
each keyword.
 Basics in citing using APA:
 In-Text Citation:
Book:
The speed at which we live is seen
as cause for concern and
derision (Gleick, 1999).
The renowned scholar of
language, David Crystal, has
promoted the idea of “dialect
democracy” (2004, p. 168).
 Entry in Reference
Page:
Gleick, J. (1999). Faster: The
acceleration of just about
everything. New York: Pantheon.
Crystal, D. (2004). The stories of
English. Woodstock, NY:
Overlook Press.
 Print Article

 In-Text Citation  Reference Page

Ambition is seen as an Kluger, J. (2005, November
impulse that “requires an 14). Ambition: Why some
enormous investment of people are most likely to
emotional capital” succeed. Time, 166, 48-59.
(Kluger, 2005, p. 59).
Or (Volume and pg. #’s.)
Kluger (2005, p. 59) sees
ambition as an impulse
that “requires an
enormous investment of
emotional capital.”
 Article in Online Database:
 In-Text Citation
Research has shown that cross-
cultural identification does not
begin before eight years of age
(Sousa, Neto, & Mullet, 2005).
 Reference Page
Sousa, R.M., Neto, F., & Mullet, E.
(2005). Can music change
ethnic attitudes among
children? Psychology of Music,
33, 304-316. Retrieved
December 15, 2005, from Sage
Psychology, CSA database.
 Document on Web Site:
 In-Text Citing  Reference Page

Contributing to global Coren, M. (2006, February 10).

warming in the past
century is a considerable
rise in sea levels (Coren,
2006). [See Source Shot 4
on p. 185.]
The science debate behind
climate change. Retrieved
April 13, 2006, from
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TE
CH/science/04/08/earth.scien
ce/index.html