Thinking

A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web

Using the Web well takes more than just knowing how to google. To use the Web wisely and efficiently, consider the following six suggestions:

1. Make sure you are in the right place.
2. When in doubt, doubt.
3. Consider the source.
4. Know what's happening.
5. Look at details.
6. Distinguish Web pages from pages found on the Web.

In addition to these six suggestions about evaluating sources, here are some criteria that are commonly used.

• Authority: Who are the authors, or who is responsible? What gives them their authority or expertise?
• Accuracy: Do you have good reason to believe that the information on the site is accurate? Are the facts documented?
• Objectivity: What is the author's point of view? What is the purpose of the site?
• Currency: When was the information on the page originally written? Has the site been kept up-to-date?
• Coverage: Is your topic being addressed? Is the information basic and cursory or detailed and scholarly?
  
• Value: Was the page worth visiting? Does the site offer anything informative, substantial, or insightful? Is the site free of spelling and grammatical errors?

Instructors: There are five exercises to choose from:
Mayan Calendar, The Sixties, Eggs and Cholesterol, Martin Luther King, Peak Oil.
I hereby grant permission for you to use or adapt the assignments. I only request that you let me know.

For fun and games and pretty pictures, the Web is fine.

But is the Web a good research tool?
 

The answer is a qualified yes, and only if you are careful.

After you have considered the suggestions and criteria listed on this page, there is a review and one more st*p*d assignment.