Evaluating Internet Resources

How many times have you heard a teacher or professor say, "Wikipedia is NOT a source!!!!"? This is partially a true statement because anyone can get on the website and write anything they want whether it be true or false. This is why it is important to know how to evaluate your resources before using them. You need to make sure your resources are reliable, relevant, and have authority. For a resource to be reliable, it needs to have cited sources of where the information came from. Also, be sure and check to see if the resource has a bias. When looking for relevance, you need to check the date the article was published, and also when it was last revised. Lastly, when checking for authority, you need to know who wrote the article. Are they experts in that certain area? Are there ways to contact them that give their area of expertise? These are the three most important things to look for when researching, and they will all help you have a better paper over your certain topic. Here's another teacher's thoughts on reliable sources. http://imet.csus.edu/imet5/koreen/284/index.htm