Wikipedia Activity-Global Warming Post #1

Step one:  Click Here to view article.

Step Two:  Read

Step Three: What stance on Global Warming does the article appear to take (ie. caused by humans, or a naturally occurring event; will have catastrophic implications)?

It appears that the site places most of the blame for the cause of global warming on humans and the release of greenhouse gases. However, they also talk about the natural causes that we, as humans, cannot prevent.

Step Four: Continue reading the Wikipedia article and chose a claim to verify (i.e since 1979, land temperatures have increased about twice as fast as ocean temperatures). 

“Other likely effects of the warming include more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events including heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall events, species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes, and changes in agricultural yields.”

Step Five: Web Page Evaluation Checklist

Keeping the Facts Straight (for the claim) 

Name of page: Global Warming-Fast Facts

Address/URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html

Date Accessed:  June 20, 2011

How did you find the page?  I linked from a Google search engine.

DOMAIN

What is the domain of the page? .com

Do you feel that the domain type helps add to or lessen the page’s credibility?

 I do feel that it has complete credibility. I say this because I often find that sites with the domain. .com, seem to contain factual information that is valid and not just the opinions of a particular group. In other words, in this case, the site will argue the pros and cons of global warming.

AUTHOR/AUTHORITY

Is the author of the page identified? No

Is the author of the page an individual? No

If no individual author is identified, is the corporation, institution, organization or group responsible for the web site clearly identified? Yes, National Geographic Society.

If the author is a corporation/institution/organization or other group:

Does the organization have a reputation for credibility? Yes

Does the organization explain its purpose, mission, goals, or guiding principles? Yes, this information can be found on the “About Us” page.

Does the organization provide the names of its officers, editors, staff or other major participants? Not that I was able to find, however, there is a place to contact the staff.

Does the organization provide contact information? Yes

Does the organization appear to filter the information appearing under its name? Yes

Does the organization display any obvious signs of bias? I would have to say no. It seems as though they are only trying to get the overall facts out there so that people are more aware of what is going on in the case of global warming.

In conclusion, do you think that this organization is qualified to present the information found on its web page? Yes

INTENT

Is the purpose of the page clearly stated? Yes, a mission statement is provided

What is or appears to be the purpose of the page? Their purpose is to inform and educated, as well as, promote environmental and historical conservation.

Does the page contain advertisements? Yes

Do the ads distract from the page’s content, affect the page’s reliability, or appear to be the main focus of the page? No

Might they be necessary to support the organization responsible for the page? Yes, they are a non-profit group that relies on donations in order to continue running.

 INTENDED AUDIENCE

Who appears to be the intended audience for this information/page?
Enthusatics, Scientist, Researchers, Citizens, Students of all ages.

Does the level or complexity of information provided, the vocabulary used, and the overall tone of the information/page match your needs? Yes

CURRENTNESS

When was the information on the page created or last updated?

October 28, 2010

Are the dates of articles, news stories, newsletters, reports and other publications given? Yes

Is the page properly maintained or does it have broken links, outdated events calendars or other signs of neglect? Maintained


RELIABILITY

Is the content peer-reviewed, authenticated by experts, or subject to some sort of editorial scrutiny? N/A

Does the page display any awards given by reliable sources, or link to favorable site reviews by reliable sources?  No

Considering your answers to the previous questions, other observations you’ve made, and your overall sense of the page, how reliable does this source seem?

The page appears to have valuable information and be credible.

CONCLUSIONS

Do you feel that this source is appropriate for your current assignment or information need? Yes

Would you recommend this source to a friend doing similar research? Yes

What reservations, if any, do you have about the source? No reservations

  Against the Claim

Name of page: Global Warming Myths and Facts

Address/URL:  http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=16257&source=ggad&gclid=CLaqwO3dx6kCFYeD5QodfRfpgQ

Date Accessed:  June 20, 2011

How did you find the page?  I linked from a Google search engine.

DOMAIN

What is the domain of the page? .org

Do you feel that the domain type helps add to or lessen the page’s credibility?

 I do feel that it has some complete credibility. I say this because I often find that sites with the domain. .org, seem to contain factual information that is somewhat valid, yet also contains the opinions of a particular group. In other words, the site will more than likely argue the pros or cons of global warming.

AUTHOR/AUTHORITY

Is the author of the page identified? No

Is the author of the page an individual? No

If no individual author is identified, is the corporation, institution, organization or group responsible for the web site clearly identified? Yes, Environmental Defense Fund.

If the author is a corporation/institution/organization or other group: Yes

Does the organization have a reputation for credibility? Yes

Does the organization explain its purpose, mission, goals, or guiding principles? Yes, this information can be found on the “About Us” page.

Does the organization provide the names of its officers, editors, staff or other major participants? Yes, there is a place that lists staff, as well as, ways to contact them.

Does the organization provide contact information? Yes

Does the organization appear to filter the information appearing under its name? Yes

Does the organization display any obvious signs of bias? I would have to say no. It seems as though they are only trying to get the overall facts out there so that people are more aware of what is going on in the case of global warming.

In conclusion, do you think that this organization is qualified to present the information found on its web page? Yes

INTENT

Is the purpose of the page clearly stated? Yes, a mission statement is provided

What is or appears to be the purpose of the page? Their purpose is to inform and educated.

Does the page contain advertisements? No

Do the ads distract from the page’s content, affect the page’s reliability, or appear to be the main focus of the page? N/A

Might they be necessary to support the organization responsible for the page? N/A

 INTENDED AUDIENCE

Who appears to be the intended audience for this information/page?
Enthusatics, Scientist, Researchers, Citizens, Students of all ages.

Does the level or complexity of information provided, the vocabulary used, and the overall tone of the information/page match your needs? Yes

CURRENTNESS

When was the information on the page created or last updated?

January 1, 1998

Are the dates of articles, news stories, newsletters, reports and other publications given? Yes

Is the page properly maintained or does it have broken links, outdated events calendars or other signs of neglect? Maintained


RELIABILITY

Is the content peer-reviewed, authenticated by experts, or subject to some sort of editorial scrutiny? N/A

Does the page display any awards given by reliable sources, or link to favorable site reviews by reliable sources?  No

Considering your answers to the previous questions, other observations you’ve made, and your overall sense of the page, how reliable does this source seem?

The page appears to have valuable information and be credible. However, that fact that it has not been updated since 1998, makes me want to rethink using this site before using one that has been currently updated.

CONCLUSIONS

Do you feel that this source is appropriate for your current assignment or information need? Yes

Would you recommend this source to a friend doing similar research? No, because it has not been currently updated.

What reservations, if any, do you have about the source? The only reservation I have about this site is the fact that it has not been updated on the last 13 years!!!