1. evaluate an internet source in ninety seconds or less (evaluating sources tutorial @HCC Libraries)

2. When youre bogged down with research, its tempting to skip evaluating just 1 little website... (Or 10...)

3. When youre bogged down with research, its tempting to skip evaluating just 1 little website... (Or 10...) but you can evaluate a page in less than 90 seconds!

4. Step 1: Dissect the URL http://www.hostname.domain/ therestoftheurl.filetype

5. Step 1: Dissect the URL Whats the domain, or end of the main website address? http://www.hostname.domain/therestoftheurl.filetype .gov = governmental source .edu = educational source .org = usually a nonprofit, noncommercial source .mil = military source .mobi = mobile site

6. Step 1: Dissect the URL Whats the end of the url, or file type? http://www.hostname.domain/therestoftheurl.filetype Is it a standard HTML source?(e.g. http:// www.asu.edu/lib/tutorials/evalutate-sources/ or hccs.edu/tutorial.html) Or a special file type like .pdf, .ppt, .xls, or .doc? Knowing this gives you a hint of the format or type of information the page provides.

7. Step 1: Dissect the URL What about the rest of the URL? http://www.hostname.domain/therestoftheurl.filetype Does it flow? How long is it & does it sound like the organization makes sense? Look at http://www.post.edu/maincampus/library/ Evaluating%20Information%20Sources.pdf V. doctorwholover.com/tradisfiles/lincolnspresidency.com Which sounds like a better source?

8. Step 2: Identify the author Look for any page that talks about a Mission Statement, About or About Us, Philosophy, Board of Directors, Staff, Legal disclaimers, profiles Try looking up at the site in https:// easywhois.com or Google to see who owns the site or what the organization is.

9. Step 3: Study the design Does it look professional, or like someone with a poor knowledge of HTML put it together? Does it look like a typical template, like those found on free sites? Remember, a professional-looking site can still be a hoax, but few legitimate sites have poor HTML.

10. Step 4: Scan the content Do you see typos, grammatical errors, or HTML errors? Do you see many opinions & few facts? Or opinions stated as facts?

11. Step 5: Look for resources Do you see any references or sources cited? Links to additional resources?

12. Step 6: Check the dates When was the website published? When was it last revised or edited? Has the site published anything recently?

13. Step 7: Does it seem legitimate? Investigateitfurther!

14. review 1. Dissect the URL 2. Identify the author 3. Study the design 4. Scan the content 5. Look for resources 6. Check the dates 7. Seems legitimate? Put it on a list & investigate further.

15. Find out more with HCC Libraries @library.hccs.edu

16. Thanks to Reference Librarian Shannon Nelson Betts, MLS, MAT at Post University Library, whose Evaluating Websites Quickly: 5-minutes (or less) clues to Credibility helped inspire this.