Website Evaluation Guide

Agriculture Literacy – Pesticide Concerns

Website examples: Issue is the publication of pesticide levels on fruits and vegetables. The Environmental Working Group has taken information from the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program and presented it as reasons for calling 12 commodities the most contaminated. The USDA’s report is complete and very technical, but when evaluated it is clear that the EWG’s conclusions are based on manipulation of the mathematical results. The Penpages web site provides two perspectives that can also be used to evaluate the topic. The Stonyfield Farms website is a company that sells organic products and advertising the EWG’s findings validates the going organic choice.

The Good Sites that provide fact or a balanced approach to the issue.

• Penn State Comment site - http://www.penpages.psu.edu/penpages_reference/12101/121011835.HTML

• United States Department of Agriculture AMS page - http://www.ams.usda.gov/science/pdp/status.htm

The Sites with a slanted or promotional reason for posting the information.

• Stony Field Farm website- http://www.stonyfield.com/Organic/ShoppersGuide.cfm

• Environmental Working Group - www.ewg.org

Following this example a website evaluation check list is provide for you to evaluate sites in the future. In agriculture when you are searching for information you want to use government and educational sites as your best sources of information. Any group may post organization sites and express the beliefs of that group, they do not need scientific research to give an opinion. Always evaluate the site before you believe the information or claims.

First Step- What type of site are you looking at?

• Commercial - .com
• Organization - .org
• Education - .edu
• Government -.gov/mil/us
• International
• Personal – if it is personal some clues to look for are a tilde (), percent sign or the words users, members, people is frequently embedded somewhere in the URL

Second Step – Quality Indicators- Is the information valid?

Ask this of all websites, even if they are government or educational.

• Who wrote the page and is it dated?
• Are credentials listed?
• Documented sources
• Complete information
• Links to more resources, do they work
• Who links to the site?
• Look up the author in google if you doubt the quality.

Third Step – Viewpoint

With agriculture issues you may need to ask the following questions if it appears the viewpoint is extreme or inflexable.

• Does the information add up with what you currently know?
• What is the purpose of the page?
1. Inform, facts data
2. Persuade
3. Sell
4. Entice
5. Share/disclose

Additional sites where you can find more information about website evaluation:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webeval.htm