Evaluating Resources (42kb .PDF) - Checklist for deciding the validity of information whether in print or online. WCC handout.
Critical Evaluation of Information Sources - (University of Oregon) An overview of evaluation. Links out to web sites, but also to some of their licensed resources that require authentication.
Critically Analyzing Information Sources - (Cornell University's Olin & Uris Libraries)
Critical Thinking - PowerPoints from Intute (a web directory from a consortium of universities)
Tutorial: IRIS - Clark College
Tutorial: Intute.ac.uk - Internet Detective
Tutorial: Cardiff U. - Evaluating Information
Evaluating web pages - (University of California at Berkeley)

For many more links about evaluation, try the Open Directory's entry about website evaluation.

Websites to evaluate

Faux website - Maybe the URL will give this away, but otherwise, it looks "legit."
Faux website - Tree Octopus - There is an amazing range of flora and fauna in the Pacific Northwest.
Faux website - DHMO - Learn about a dangerous and ubiquitous chemical.
Biased website - MLK - Find out who the sponsors are of this site.
RYT Hospital has cutting edge medicine news
AIDS site includes more dubious science
The Institute for Historical Review - Holocaust revisionism. This is one of the sites noted in a Washington State Library document "The Dangers of E-Illiteracy."

Snopes - debunks urban legends and rampant misinformation.
Hoax-slayer

A way to judge a website is by looking at who links to it. In Google, in the advanced search screen, open up the Date, usage rights, numeric range and more options (click the + sign). There is a box for Find pages that link to the page where you can enter the full web address (URL) of the site you're interested in. The results list will include only sites that link to the site you entered.

Another tip is to look for who owns the site. You can do that with whois.net.

Scholarly Journals Defined

Scholarly journals publish articles after they have been reviewed by authors' peers as a way to ensure quality. People in the same field are usually the intended audience and many will serve as reviewers by reading articles and offering criticism. More on Peer-Review below.

Scholarly v Popular  tutorial from Western Carolina University

Scholarly v Popular v Trade chart from San Diego State University

Scholarly v Popular (87kb .PDF) - A checklist of what to look for in evaluating the sort of periodical an article appears in. WCC handout.

Peer-Review

Journals that submit authors' articles to peer-review get feedback from those in the field about whether an article is worthy of inclusion in a publication. Peer-review is quality-control measure to ensure that what gets published reflects sound methods and logic, is well-written, and is a worthy contribution to the "discussion." Often an author has the opportunity to revise an article after the review process. Such journals are called peer-reviewed or refereed journals. Here are descriptions of the process from some peer-reviewed journals:

For Fun: