Shawn McKay
App/Web Developer, Instructor
Website Credibility
Discussing Trustworthiness on the Web
http://tiny.cc/hid-credible
Who to Trust?
What makes a source credible?
Are nicer looking websites more credible?
Rank by Credibility (1-6)
| Rank | Type | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site | National Cancer Instute | #1 Google search result | |
| Site | Wikipedia: Cellphones & Cancer | 8,000 edits | |
| News | CNN.com: The Science of Cellphones & Cancer | May, 2009 Online |
|
| News | 조선일보: Cellphone use causes Cancer | June, 2015 Newspaper |
|
| Blog | Why Cellphones can't cause cancer, but Bananas can | 1,200 likes Author: Dr. Franklin |
|
| Site | Protect Against Cellphone Radiation | 12,000 likes Selling radiation protection covers |
Four Things
Credibility Checklist
Author
Date
Purpose
Quality
Author?
reliable
contact information
Date?
recent
updated
Purpose?
Selling
Bias
Quality?
spelling
grammar
website appearance
Skepticism
using reason and critical thinking
to decide if something is true
Skeptics aren't disbelievers in everything. They just require evidence.
Keep an Open Mind
But not so open that your brains fall out.
Right now, your beliefs and ideas are wrong about a lot of things.
Skepticism can help you find the truth.
Credible !== True
Sometimes good sources make mistakes
Truth can change with new information
The Continuum of Truth
Examples
Judge the credibility of the following sites
0 - not credible at all
10 - very credible
Is Social Media
a good source?
Why or why not?
Is Wikipedia
a good source?
Ask Wikipedia.
Information Loop
Wikipedia Bias
87% male
Liberal
American
Corporate
Controversy
Experiment
Create a new Wikipedia page about a topic
Edit a page with false information
Are top Google search results good sources?
People believe top search results are more credible.
Search Results are Personalized
Review
What makes a site credible?
What are four things to consider?
What websites can you trust?
Website Credibility
By Shawn McKay
Website Credibility
Determining if a website is a good information source.
