Skip to Main Content

Evaluating Sources: What do they have to lose?

Find out who is providing the content and why. Get information from different sources. Be skeptical.

Ask yourself "What do they have to lose if they give bad information?" If they have nothing to lose, they have no consequences for bad behavior.

ICANN WHOIS: Registration Look-up (whois.icann.org)

Put domain (EX: fvtc.edu) in search box to learn more about who is in charge, and how long the website has been around.

RED FLAG: Ad promises cures, diet aids, work-at-home jobs, etc.

Avoid "too good to be true" advertisements. Such websites are often temporary; contact information is often useless.
Motive/Bias: Make easy money from gullible people.

About Mayo Clinic
Motive/Bias: Reputation to uphold: They want you to trust their expertise and product sales.

They get their money from expensive cutting-edge procedures.

About WebMD: Who We Are
Motive/Bias: Reputation to uphold: They have "bait" of good information backed by editorial staff - located in the center of the page.

They are funded by advertisements, many of which are hard to distinguish as advertisements.

Retraction Watch

Retraction Watch
When a published paper is discredited, it is usually retracted. This organization tracks retractions as a window into the scientific process.

chat loading...

About Us • Contact Us • FVTC Terms of Service • Sitemap
FVTC Mission, Vision, Values & Purposes • FVTC Privacy Statement • FVTC Library Services Accessibility Statement
DISCLAIMER: Any commercial mentions on our website are for instructional purposes only. Our guides are not a substitute for professional legal or medical advice.

Fox Valley Technical College • Library Services • 1825 N. Bluemound Drive • Room G113
Appleton, WI 54912-2277 • United States • (920) 735-5653
© 2024 • Fox Valley Technical College • All Rights Reserved.

The https://library.fvtc.edu/ pages are hosted by SpringShare. Springshare Privacy Policy.