Writing and Researching Tips: Evaluating Internet Sources
Introduction:
When you are to write a paper, naturally you are expected to consult the previously published documents, information, data and facts about the topic. It is now up to you, which source you want to consult, either a library or an Internet search.
The latest technology has made it quite simple and trouble free to locate information. Internet availability to everyone has totally revolutionized the world.
Although the new technology has loads of advantages, it has brought some issues to be solved with it. Authenticity of the sources is one of the major problems encountered and affects the students’ performance on paper. It is not only for the paper you have to look out for the right sources; even if you are searching for your own personal interest, you need to know the accuracy of the information you have obtained. The high-quality, keen observation on the facts would lead to good judgments in future.
How to evaluate the sources for you essays and term paper:
There are few things you need to consider while you quote the information from an Internet resource in your paper.
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As you look for the Author’s credibility, when you are citing a book, you have to do the same while using the information on the Web. Who is the author; and how much his or her work has proven to be reliable in the past. Is he or she a qualified authority? Is there anything been written about the author in the website, as in books?
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If this is an organization that has published the information on the Internet, verify its credibility too. See to it that the organization has ample experience in the related field. More, how it has obtained the information and from whom. Also locate the methodology they have followed to produce a research.
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It is better to know the URL to spot the authenticity of the source. URL is an abbreviation and means, Uniform Resource Locator. You must have come across many but it is a good source to know who is publishing the information.
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The URL has four parts, first is the “Protocol”, for example “http.” It is for the computer to retrieve information from the web. Second part is the “server name” from machine, where the information has been drawn. It might be the organization that has generated the document such as www.un.org. “un” is the server name and “org.” is the domain. Then is the path and sub path of the document and in the last is the document itself.
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Server name and the domain name is the utmost important. They are like the publisher to identity who has printed the book. You could tell from the server and domain the sponsors of the website and can search more about them. It is a good option to check on the organization homepage and see what they are really all about. See the objectives, missions and purpose of the organization and the objective of the website.
Next: Part II
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