Peak Oil: a Web Site Evaluation Assignment

Consider the topic of "Peak Oil."

Take a brief look at all of the following seven sites to get a sense of which ones are reliable sources of information about this environmental issue.

1. Peak Oil: No Laughing Matter
2. Peak Oil - the clear and present danger
3. Peak oil: We were wrong
4. Peak Oil Perspectives: Do the Math
5. America’s Energy Future is Bright, If Government Doesn’t Shut It Down
6. Don't Worry, There's Plenty Of Oil
7. The Imminent Crash Of The Oil Supply

Once you have looked at all the sites, go back and select two to evaluate more thoroughly.

To evaluate the two sites, please briefly but thoroughly address the questions after each point:

• Make sure you are in the right place: Is this site a good source for the information you need? Was the page worth visiting?
• When in doubt, doubt: Do you have good reason to believe that the information on the site is accurate? Are the facts documented?
• Consider the source: Who are the authors and who is responsible for the site? What is their expertise? What is their bias?
• Know what's happening: What is the site's purpose or point of view?
• Distinguish Web pages from pages found on the Web: Was this page designed for the Web, or is it something else, such as a government document or a journal article?

Yes, it is difficult to be both thorough and brief at the same time, but please do your best.

If you have been asked to complete this assignment as part of a course assignment, please check with your instructor how to submit your answers.

There are no precise right and wrong answers for this assignment.

Note to Instructors: I gladly grant you permission to use or adapt this assignment. Please let me know that you have used it or are planning on using it.