Criteria for determining the quality of a Web page - The art of how not to be fooled on the Net

[Voice-over]
It’s Thursday morning: Riding the information highway is great, but you have to know which way to take it. Because, with all that information you might just be getting a pig in a poke.
Fred was never sure he understood that expression.

[Dialogues]
Fred: A poke or a pig?

[Voice-over]
Because a pig in a poke could end up being a bunch of baloney. But sometimes a pig in a poke can serve you well. Anyway, take the website Fred found: Voltaire’s Reference

[Dialogues]
Fred: It looks legit.

[Voice-over]
However, upon closer inspection Fred discovered that it was in fact a pile of nonsense, spouted by a bunch of skeptical pseudo-intellectuals with paranoid tendencies.
Here’s how he discovered it.

[Dialogues]
Professor: Questions?
Professor: Yes.
Fred: I read on Voltaire’s Reference that…
Professor: Voltaire’s…?
Fred: Voltaire’s Reference
Professor: Votaire’s Reference. Aha… That website. Rather, that pile of nonsensical crap spouted by a bunch of skeptical pseudo-intellectuals with paranoid tendencies. What did you read?

[Voice-over]
Fred, you just learned that when you surf the web that all that glitters is not gold. You can’t place all your bets on the first information you find. The Internet is a free editorial environment with no editorial guidelines, controls, or validation processes.
Given the amount of information on the web, it’s tempting to settle for the first information you find using any old search engine. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up using erroneous, obsolete or subjective information. So, remember! Just because you found the same information everywhere doesn’t mean that it’s true or reliable. This laziness at the beginning of your search can really cost you: it can undermine your paper and lead you down the wrong path.
The only way to determine the reliability of a web page is to use an evaluation grid. Here are the key points:
•	Author: Is he mentioned? What’s his profession? Is he an authority in the field? Where does he work?
•	The website: Who owns it? What is its purpose (advertisement, propaganda, leisure, research, education, etc)? Who’s the target audience?
•	Publication date: Is it mentioned? Is the information up to date? Are recent developments in the field mentioned?
•	Bibliographic references: Are there any? Are they clear and complete? Are they varied?
•	Structure and style: Is the tone correct (language level: specialized, technical, popular)? Is the information arranged in a coherent manner? Is it understandable and organized logically?
In the “Key Points” section we have provided an evaluation-grid template listing the main criteria to help you evaluate the reliability of a web page.

[Dialogues]
Fred: As I was saying, watch out for the low hanging fruit. You’ll find everything and anything on the Internet.