Overview

If you ever need to answer a question related to something you know very little about, you'll probably go to a search engine and start trying to find Web sites that will answer that question. But which of the many sites listed are actually reliable?

This assignment will give you practice evaluating Web sites in areas you are probably unfamiliar with, and systematically analyzing them for reliability.

Start by choosing one question from the list below. You'll be investigating it on the Web, and it will actually help your investigation if you choose a question in an area you're not familiar with.

Choose one of the following questions:

1. What does the current US law say about buying prescription drugs in Canada?
2. Is quantum mechanics replacing classical physics? If so, why?
3. What is the proportion of visible matter to dark matter in the universe? Why do scientists believe this is the correct ratio, and how sure are they?
4. What is the dinosaur that has been most recently discovered by scientists?
5. What are pheromones, and how do they work?
6. How do infants develop attachments and bond to their caregivers?
7. The Kingdom of Tonga has several sources of foreign revenue. What are the three most important, and what are their prospects for the future?
8. A patient has chronic dry eyes and a dry mouth. What is his condition called? Hint: It's not eyestrain!
9. A patient with Fibromyalgia is scheduled for admission to the hospital. What are her symptoms likely to be?
10. You are working with a Scleroderma patient. Are there any support groups to which you could refer him?
11. Lyme Disease is a condition caused by a highly specialized bacterium. What is the vector that transports these bacteria?
12. A small Pacific island nation leases rights to its Internet country-code top-level domain name (ccTLD) as a major source of national income. What is this nation, and what are its prospects for continued income from leasing rights to its ccTLD?
13. Several countries in the southern hemisphere have gained major footholds in wine markets of the northern hemisphere. What are these countries, and what are the challenges they face in keeping the wine flowing north?
14. Chagas Disease is also transported by a vector, but is not caused by bacterial infection.What is the organism that causes it?
15. What is the current danger of Bubonic Plague in America?
16. A patient with Schistosomiasis has been admitted to a nearby hospital.What part of the world is this person likely to have visited?
17. A child is diagnosed with Batten Disease. How did the child contract this condition?
18. The US-led war in Iraq began amid fears the the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, was developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and was willing to use them. What was the evidence for and against Iraq's development of WMD at the time the war begin in 2003?

For the question you chose:

1. Using one or more search engines, search for answers to the question.
2. Decide (fairly quickly) which two (2) of the many hits have the most potential to answer the question.
3. Examine each of these two Web sites in the following "critical areas":
   1. Accuracy
   2. Authority
   3. Objectivity
   4. Currency
   5. Coverage
   (Note that each of these "critical areas" is discussed in module W18c, and each is linked to the corresponding discussion. In each area there are questions to ask which will help you analyze the sites.)

When you've finished analyzing your site, you'll need to answer questions and create a PowerPoint presentation. A PowerPoint template is supplied for you to do this.

Report Guidelines

• Use Microsoft PowerPoint to complete your report.
• Substitute your name for "Sarah Strong", and put in your correct class and section.
• Choose and apply a Slide Design for your report. (If you'd like to use different designs for the different sections, you may do so.)
• Use copy-and-paste to put in the questions and URLs where indicated.
  • When choices are offered, they are in [brackets]. Choose an option and delete the rest, including the brackets.
  • Where you need to paste in information from the Web, this is also in [brackets] with instructions inside. Highlight the bracketed words, including the brackets themselves, and paste in the required information. (Tip: titles and URLs of Web sites need to be pasted onto several pages; you may want to do all of them at once, then come back to fill in the answers to questions.)
  • Where you need to write your own words, there are underlines _____. You need not write long answers: in fact, brief is better.
  • Avoid yes/no answers: give reasons and include links to details on the site if you think that will help.
• Spelling counts: Proof-read your report.

Submit your report on-line as instructed.