Writing & Composition

How critical an observer are you? Learn how to evaluate information sources by doing the exercises below, in Group 1 (Authority & Accuracy), Group 2 (Advocacy & Objectivity), and Group 3 (Currency & Coverage).

The main questions to keep in mind are:

• Would you use this Web site for a research paper? 
• Why or why not?

Pick any two sites from the list below. What evidence can you find to determine the basis for claims made on these pages? How could you tell whether or not the information provided is accurate?

• Dihydrogen Monoxide in the Dairy Industry
• Feline Reactions to Bearded Men
• MedlinePlus
• Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Octopus

Pick any two sites from the list below. What evidence can you find to determine whether or not these sites are favoring a particular point of view or are taking an objective approach?

• EarthSave International
• Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Examination [Note: Copy and paste the following url & delete the space after the number 6 in the url, before pressing enter: https://tinyurl.com/y6 xamq89
• The King Center Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pick any two sites from the list below. What evidence can you find to determine how up to date these pages are and whether or not they cover their topics as completely as they claim?

• Sports Rumble
• CNN
• Auto-by-Tel

Exercise originally created by UCLA College Library librarians, Esther Grassian and Diane Zwemer, 1998. Last update: 30 Apr 2019. E. Grassian