the big house library

don't believe everything you read... evaluate your sources!!!

You put a lot of thought into your life: what you wear, how you style your hair, what music you listen to, what parties you go to, who you love, and who you hate… All that involves evaluation. 

You hear rumors everyday. Do you believe everything you hear? No! You consider the source, the circumstances, and you decide for yourself if you trust the information or not. (Don’t you?) When you do that, you’re evaluating, too. 

Since you’re already so analytical, you probably also put some thought into the stuff you read online. But don’t feel bad if you don’t. Most of us are suckers for what we see in print. But not any more! =) That’s going to change now that you’re becoming serious academic researchers. =) 

You’ve got to be careful about what information you use in your research and writing. You know your teachers are going to check your sources -- so will your college professors -- and later your bosses will, too! So, C-Y-A and check your sources! =)

There’s tons of complicated criteria you can use to evaluate sources. My colleague, Mr. Tom Griffin, has written a fabulous assignment about source analysis. But I know you’re busy, so I’m going break it down for you. =)

Just think about this: 

•  WHO wrote it? And WHY? 
•  HOW WELL is it written? 
•  HOW GOOD is the information?  
•  Too OLD? 
•  Too GENERAL?  
•  Too SPECIFIC?  
•  Too INCOMPLETE?  
•  Too IRRELEVANT?
•  Too BIASED?

Remember, not all .coms are bad and not all .orgs are good. For example, BigHouseLibrary.com is a good .com and MartinLutherKing.org is a bad .org. 

Take a look at these websites! They look legit enough, but don't be duped! Not everything on the web is real and can be trusted! =)

Don't believe everything you read... evaluate your sources!!! 

Thanks to Phil Bradley, Monkey Filter, and Museum of Hoaxes for their fabulous lists of fake site links! =)