John R. Henderson
phone: (607)-274-1961
jhenderson@ithaca.edu
Ithaca College Library

Martin Luther King : a Web Site Evaluation Assignment

PART ONE: Consider the topic of "Martin Luther King." Take a brief look at all of the following five sites to get a sense of which ones are reliable sources of information that address Martin Luther King.

1. Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. The Martin Luther King You Don't See on TV
3. Myths of Martin Luther King
4. Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story
5. Why Martin Luther King Jr was a Republican

PART TWO: Once you have looked at all the sites, go back and examine each one more closely. Please consider:

• Make sure you are in the right place: Is this site a good source for the information you need? Was the page worth visiting?
• When in doubt, doubt: Do you have good reason to believe that the information on the site is accurate? Are the facts documented?
• Consider the source: Who are the authors and who is responsible for the site? What is their expertise? What is their bias?
• Know what's happening: What is the site's purpose or point of view?
• Distinguish Web pages from pages found on the Web: Was this page designed for the Web, or is it something else, such as a government document or a journal article?

Yes, it is difficult to be both thorough and brief at the same time, but please do your best.