Website Evaluation Practice

detective holding a magnifying glass looking at a question mark
You can't believe everything you read on the internet!  To determine if a website is trustworthy, we need to evaluate it.

Evaluate each of the sites below and evaluate it using the C.A.R.S. method or the 5 Ws (below).  Which are real?  Which are fake?

Fact or Fake?

House Hippo Foundation
Established in 1991, the House Hippo Foundation is a Canadian not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting the house hippo and its habitat.
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Dogs & More Dogs
How and why did dogs did man's best friend evolve from wolves?

Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Learn about this rare cephalopod and its environment.

Evaluation Tools

Elementary School:
​C.A.R.S.

Credibility
  • Who created this site? A person? An organization? A school?
  • What does the URL end with? (.gov & .edu sites are usually more trustworthy than .com or .org sites)
Accuracy
  • When was the site created? When was it last updated?
  • Does it provide details about the subject?
Reasonableness
  • Does the author use opinion words? (always, never, best, worst)
  • If relevant, are multiple points of view represented?
Support
  • Where did this information come from?
  • Are there any sources linked or listed?
  • Can you verify this information from OTHER sources?

Middle to High School:
​5 Ws of the World Wide Web

Who created the page?
  • Is there an “about us” section?
  • Do they list credentials?
  • Is there contact information?
  • Who is the intended audience?
What information are you getting?
  • Are there multiple points of view represented?
  • Does the author use OPINION words, such as always, never, least, greatest, best, worst, all, none, should, or most?
  • What is the tone? Is it serious? Does it contain elements of parody, satire, or irony?
  • Can the information be verified through other sources?
When was this article posted?
  • Is it current?
  • Has it been updated recently?
​Where is this webpage located?
  • Look at the URL. Is this a personal page or site?
  • What is the domain (.com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov)?
Why would I use this site as a source of information?
  • Can I verify this information?
  • Why was this site published? Was it to entertain, to inform, to explain, to persuade, to sell, or some combination of these things?

Conclusions

What did you discover?  Could you figure out if a website was trustworthy and or not?  Talk about your findings with your class or at home with your family.