What makes sites reliable

However, bias and opinion compromise even recent information, keeping it from being objective and trustworthy. Certainly, any organization or individual is entitled to a perspective.

Likewise, some organizations, particularly companies who want sales or politicians who want votes, want readers to agree with their views. Few advertisements present credible supporting information for the positions they present! For example, consider material posted on the Web with a. How much factual information about the automobile will appear? Will be the purpose of the posted information be to inform readers about the specific features of the new model or to urge them to buy? In what ways do language and graphics bias readers about the new car?

If you read an article from The Onion, the humorous satire of current events, can you trust the supposedly actual information the article presents? Are you supposed to? The Onion wants readers to laugh, not to learn.

Many Web pages are published anonymously by individuals. Are the views of individuals as reliable as those of experts from universities or from the government which cite sources? How current is the information? How factual? If you find another credible site that contradicts your original source, further research may be required.

Wikipedia offers a large volume of information, but because its entries are created in a collaborative effort involving many different users, its reliability can vary widely. In some cases, users deliberately place incorrect information on the site; in others, well-meaning users unintentionally introduce inaccuracies.

For these reasons, you can use Wikipedia as a jumping-off point to spark more research, but not as a source on its own. If you have a question about the authenticity of a source, you can always reach out to your professor; the University Writing Center at The University of Texas at El Paso ; or the UTEP Library , which offers assistance via email libraryref utep.

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Tony Rogers. Journalism Expert. Tony Rogers has an M. He has written and taught journalism for over 25 years. Updated December 04, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Rogers, Tony. How to Determine a Reliable Source on the Internet.

Choosing a Website for Your Video Blog. Of course, there may be some reliable websites that do not include all these qualities. The kind of websites you use for research can also depend on the topic you are investigating.

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