Choosing Results: The Three A's

If a site passes the test for intent and content, there are still a few more things that you should consider in your evaluation before including facts from that site in your paper or report: the Author and Affiliation of the site, as well the Activity of the site (how recently it was updated). Here are some tips to help you make your decision:
  1. Author: is the author of the site credible?

    Often, you can tell something about the author of a page just by examining the tone in which it was written. Re-read the content of the site and ask yourself: does the site seem to be opinionated or biased? If the answer is "yes", and if you are looking for a source that provides credible facts, then the author's opinion may not be helpful to you unless your research is looking to describe a particular side of a given issue.

    If the site does not seem biased and provides well-rounded, objective information, then the next step is to consider the background of its author, if possible. The author is either the person or the organization responsible for writing and providing the information on the site or page. To determine who is the author of a web page, you can look for: links in biographical statements, resumes, or other background about the site author.

    Ask yourself: does the author have appropriate education, training, or experience to write with authority (credibility) on this topic?

  2. Affiliation: with what organizations or academic institutions (if any) is the site or article affiliated?

    In order to find out about the organizations or academic institutions (if any) that a site or article is affiliated with, look for the copyright symbol (©), often found at the bottom of the page. This symbol will tell you the person or organization who claims responsibility for the page. If you cannot find a copyright symbol (©), you can also look for links to affiliated pages and sites. In the following example, the copyright information has been circled in red:


    From the Boston Globe Online, http://www.boston.com/globe/


    Keep in mind that pages that are "owned" by universities and government agencies tend to include information that is more appropriate as research material, as opposed to pages that are published by individuals.

  3. Activity: when was the last date that the site was modified?

    Finally, it is important to consider when the site was last updated or modified. To find out when the site was last modified, look for "page creation" or "revision" dates, or a link to an "About" or "What's New" page that describes when the content of the site was last updated.

    If you are writing a report on a current event topic, you may want to choose sites that are updated frequently or even on a daily basis, for example, a news site or similar sites where the information changes rapidly.

    On the other hand, if you are writing a historical essay, you may want to stick with a site that does not change as often, such as an online encyclopedia or historical archival.


Finally, if the site that you are assessing passes the tests of intent, content, author/affilation, and activity, and you do decide to reference it for your school project, remember that the page that you cite today could be changed tomorrow. If you do decide to use information from a site, it is often a good idea to print out a copy of the site so that you can turn it in to your teacher along with your report.

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