Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 530 Unit 3 Living Online used to judge validity is to examine the source of the information. Information that is part of an offi cial site, such as a university or a news agency, is more likely to be valid. Sources that are less likely to contain valid information are blog entries, a student research paper, or a social media site where opinions rather than facts may be included. Types of Returned Results The list of returned results for a search will likely contain links to many types of websites or sources. In evaluating the validity of the results, it is important to be aware that some types of sources will be less reliable than others. Some typical types of sources include forums, ads, sponsored links, knowledge bases, and articles. Forums Forums are Internet sites that support conversations or posts on certain topics. These can be useful for people interested in the same subject. Forums are good for fi nding suggestions or solutions to common problems or having a discussion about a topic. Good forum users try to post accurate and helpful information on the topic. However, that does not make them experts on the topic. Forums are not good sources to cite for accurate and valid information. Ads Take care to see if a page is providing accurate and valid information or if it is an advertisement for a product or service. If the page is really an ad, it is likely promoting something other than accurate, research- based information. An advertisement is not a good source of reliable information. Sponsored Links Most popular search engines are owned by for-profi t companies. Since the search engine is free to use, the search engine displays sponsored links related to the search results in addition to the results, as shown in Figure 13-15. These sponsored links are really advertisements placed by companies that pay for them, often on a per-click basis. Sponsored links may be useful if you are shopping for something specifi c. However, sponsored links are paid ads and not a reliable source of information. Knowledge Bases A knowledge base is a collection of data about a certain topic, often from a manufacturer of an item or product. Help and support information is posted to these sites. When looking at the page, check the URL to see if it is the manufacturer that has posted the information about its products. If the URL is not for the manufacturer’s website, the site may be fake or an advertisement posing as a knowledge base. Information posted by the manufacturer is generally accurate and valid. Living Online 1.1.2.1.1 Living Online 6.2.1 Living Online 6.2.2 Living Online 6.2.3 Living Online 6.2.4 GS5 GS4 GS4 GS4 GS4