Horticulture: Using Web Resources

                    Finding Resources on the Web

There are lots of good reasons to search the Internet using  or other web browsers, but not everything you find online is good information. Sometimes information is only presented from one perspective, or is deliberately misleading. Other times, what you find may not be from a reliable source, and your tutors may not want you using it in an academic assignment. Learning to be critical about the information you find online is important, and it can take time.

So, how can you tell what's good and what isn't? Watch below to find out!

Still not sure about that website you found? Try using The CRAAP Test to see if you can use it for your assignment.

The CRAAP test

This is a great way to critically assess the usefulness of a webpage. 

You can also use it to assess other resources too, as even books and journal articles can date, have bias, international terminology and so forth.

   Some URL Hints

• Sites that end in .edu, .ac.nz, .ac.edu.au, or .ac.uk are websites from educational organisations - like a university, or another tertiary institution. Wintec's website is wintec.ac.nz, for instance. In general, a university or tertiary website is going to be considered fairly reliable.
• Sites that end in .com are usually websites for businesses - they're making money somehow. New Zealand websites often have the ending .co.nz, or Australian ones, .com.au. These are businesses too! Businesses exist to make money, so you need to be careful when using their websites. Check that the business is legitimate, and that the information you are seeing is accurate before you use it. Consider if they have a reason to give you information that only tells part of a story. Use The CRAAP test!
• Sites that end in .net can be hard to figure out. Sometimes they are business or organisations, sometimes they're personal websites or something else. Look carefully to decide if they are legitimate and good quality, and use The CRAAP Test to determine if you should use it for an assignment.

 BBC. (2009). Bad Research - Friday Night with Jonathan Ross - BBC One. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrr32t-JsYs