The web is a great place to find information. But, how do you filter out what is worthwhile and what is questionable? Use the 3As to help you ensure you are using the best possible information.

1. 3A’s ofan A+ Web Source
The web is an incredibly rich source of information that continues to grow
daily. But, with so much information comes the problem of filtering out the
unreliable and false to get to the most accurate, reliable, and credible web
sources. This infographic will introduce you to three characteristics you can use
to help you choose A+ sources of web-based information.
A+ WEB SOURCE QUALITIES
AUTHORITY APPLICABILITY AIM
Who is the author?
Is there an about section?
How reliable is the information?
How relevant is the content?
How accurate is the info?
How current is the info?
What is the purpose?
Is the author objective?
Who is the site for?
The web is a game of telephone.
One person states an idea, another repeats
it, commenting on, altering, or skewing
that information. That process is repeated,
hundreds, thousands, or millions of times.
?What is the best information?
Many factors can affect a source’s credibility.
Study your source carefully using the
following three qualities, and you will be
closer to credible web information.
Authority
An authoritative source provides you with background,
contributor experience, affiliations, and sources of information.
ApplicabilityA strong web source has applicability. This means that the
information you find is relevant to the topic you are researching;
also, the information you find there is accurate and currently useful.
Chances are, no about section,
no verifiable authority or
credibility.
Academic and government
sources tend to be more
authoritative.
A site ending in .org is not
necessarily credible. Look for
signs of authority on the site.
ABOUT
i
.EDU & .GOV .ORG?
!
Is the site discussing opinion
without fact? Is the
information believable and
supported by evidence?
Is the information cited?
Are the sources credible? Is
the information reviewed
for accuracy?
Is there a clear creation date
for the source? Based on the
topic, is the source really
current and up to date?
RELEVANCY ACCURACY CURRENCY
The final quality of an A+ web source is aim or purpose. A strong
web source makes its purpose (to inform, to persuade, to entertain)
clear and transparent..
Aim
X
Is the author’s goal clear? Is it to
inform you? persuade you? sell
you a product?
Is the author an objective source of
information? If not, does the author
acknowledge and justify for bias?
Who is the target audience for the
source? Does the language used align
with your target audience?
PURPOSE BIAS AUDIENCE
References
Color palette:
design-seeds.com
Textures:
Paper Fibers by Heliodor jalba; lined paper by gjermund gustavsen via subtlepatterns.com
Icons:
Nounproject.com
Content:
Georgetown University Library. "Research and Course Guides." Evaluating Internet Resources. Georgetown University Library, n.d.
Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.library.georgetown.edu/tutorials/research-guides/evaluating-internet-content>.
Harvard University. "Evaluating Web Sources ." Harvard Guide to Using Sources. Harvard University, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
<http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70847&pageid=icb.page346375>.
U of Berkeley. "Critical Evaluation of Resources." U of Berkeley Library. U of Berkeley, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. <http://
www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/evaluation.html>.
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