English Composition 1
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Assessing the Credibility of Web Sites
There is an important difference between print sources you find in a library and most sources that you find on the World Wide Web. In general, print sources undergo a rigorous editing, publishing, or peer-review process that helps ensure the credibility of those sources. In other words, books and articles in journals or magazines are reviewed carefully before they are published, with the authors expected to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise, and credibility.
This generally is not the case for sources you find on the World Wide Web. Anyone with a computer, an Internet connection, and an ability to make web pages can post web pages on any subject at all. As student researchers in this class, you need to evaluate all sources carefully, but you should give special attention to evaluating the credibility of Internet sources. In fact, as researchers, you have the responsibility of ensuring that you use only informed and credible sources. If you use weak sources or sources that lack credibility, any paper in which you use the sources will suffer, as will your understanding and knowledge of your subject.
Fortunately, there are some guidelines available that can help you be a good judge of the credibility of online sources. The web page linked below offers some helpful suggestions.