Evaluate Internet Sources Using Structured Approach to Research and Communicate Process to Doctoral Students
Instructions
During Week 1, we examined two types of publications. This week, we turn our focus toward how to examine resources located on the Internet. Internet searches are much easier than electronic library searches, but Internet searches present challenges. For example, many people are not qualified to present objective information, and they post inaccurate or biased information. The locations can be informal, such as personal blogs; or they can be more formal, such as on professional organization websites. The challenge for professional and academic researchers is to ensure the information retrieved and relied on is accurate and free from excessive bias. This week, you will practice locating resources on the Internet and analyzing information for credibility, and creating a presentation to help other doctoral students evaluate Internet sources.
For this task, begin by locating at least three sources of information from Internet resources on a business topic of interest to you. The information should be from a professional organization website or from a website specializing in a particular subject. Ensure there is an author identified and be sure the qualifications of the author are presented in the website information.
Next, imagine that you will be creating a PowerPoint Presentation to doctoral students to help them evaluate sources. Create a visual diagram that reflects the process steps students need to go through to evaluate Internet sources. Explain each of the steps in the process in detail and use the three sources you identified as examples. Be sure to consider the following questions to help your doctoral student audience understand the validity of the authors you researched.
Who is the author?
What are the main points the author is presenting?
What are the author’s educational and experience credentials? In what way do they support the author’s ability to express an opinion on the subject?
Has the research been peer-reviewed or gone through an editorial process?
What types of bias may be present?
Who has a contrary opinion on the subject, and what are their credentials?
How old is the material, and is it still relevant?
End your PowerPoint presentation by providing a real-life example from a specific business context where you could apply the Internet source evaluation process you just developed to promote a specific business improvement idea to your management team. How might the source evaluation process help you build credibility in a business setting? How is the source evaluation process different in academia verses a business context?
Incorporate appropriate animations, transitions, and graphics as well as speaker notes for each slide. The speaker notes may be comprised of brief paragraphs or bulleted lists.
Support your presentation with at least 3 scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources may be included.
Length: 9-12 slides (with a separate reference slide)
Notes Length: speaker notes of 200-350 words per slide.
Be sure to include citations for quotations and paraphrases with references in APA format and style where appropriate. Save the file as PPT with the correct course code information.
