Web Site Evaluation Essay

Web Site Evaluation Essay3 – 4 pages, Times New Roman12 pt font, 1 inch margins on all sides, MLA formatting. Due by the end of this unit.
Writing Task
The purpose of this paper is for you to provide your evaluation of a Web site. Think of the paper as a critique of the strengths and weaknesses of a certain Web site. As an evaluator you need to express the usefulness and limits of the site, and you can only analyze Web pages that end in .com (a business or corporate site), .biz (an alternate business or corporate site), or .org (a nonprofit organization or advocacy group site).
This paper will obviously entail browsing the Web and finding an appropriate, rhetorically rich Web site. This is not a summary paper, but your essay should provide a concise summary of the Web site early on to orient your reader. Throughout the essay you will also need to acknowledge important aspects of the Web page through description, paraphrase, and a few direct quotations.
The heart of the essay should present and develop your own take about the Web site using appropriate criteria for evaluation (see Criteria for Evaluating a Web Site), and you must support that take with strong reflection, reasoning, and details. State your judgment clearly and support it with persuasive points that could influence your reader to your way of thinking or at least have your reader see your viewpoint clearly.
Here are some basic questions that will help you evaluate a Web site:
EthosHow credible or authoritative is the author or sponsor? Does the site seem fair- minded in that it permits alternative perspectives, or does the site only offer one frame of reference on issues or problems? Are different perspectives considered? Is the site one- sided? Is it biased in any way?
PathosHow does the site use emotional examples or visual images to persuade? Is this done ethically? How does the site appeal to certain values and beliefs of its target audience? Could those appeals distance some readers?
LogosHow does the site use evidence? What is used to support the author or sponsors rhetorical purpose: personal experience, field research, outside sources, statistics, hard evidence, anecdotes, real-life experiences, hypothetical experiences? Does the Web site use any specific argumentative modes like cause-effect reasoning, definitional claims, appeals to ethics/morals, resemblance arguments, proposals? Are these used effectively? Where are the flaws in reasoning or logic?
This essay involves working with a source, so you need to use quotation, paraphrase, or display of information using the MLA Style of referencing source material. The essay should also provide a separate Works Cited page that provides information about the article.
Audience
Address your paper to peer-scholars who might be interested in your subject and could be interested in your analysis and/or findings. But also imagine your audience as somewhat informed but undecided people who might take an opposing viewpoint from your own.
Evaluation
Your essay needs to have a clear purpose with ample detail to support this purpose, and it should have a recognizable thesis/organizing idea by the end of third paragraph at the latest. The essay should have a beginning that generates interest, an ending that provides a sense of closure, and the parts in between should be arranged in a logical and rhetorically effective sequence. The essay should demonstrate stylistic maturity and mastery of editorial conventions (grammatical correctness).
Criteria for Evaluating a Web Site
The following criteria are taken from Ramage, Bean, and Johnsons Writing Arguments, 10th ed. (355):
Criterion 1: Authority
Is the documents author or site sponsor clearly identified?
Does the site identify the occupation, position, education, experience, or other credentials of the author?
Does the home page or a clear link from the home page reveal the authors or sponsors establishing the site?
Does the site provide contact information for the author or sponsor such as an e-mail or organization address?
Criterion 2: Objectivity or Clear Disclosure of Advocacy
Is the sites purpose (for example, to inform, entertain, or persuade) clear?
Is the site explicit about declaring its point of view?
Does the site indicate whether the authors is affiliated with a specific organization, institution, or association?
Does the site indicate whether it is directed toward a specific audience?
Criterion 3: Coverage
Are the topics covered by the site clear?
Does the site exhibit suitable depth and comprehensiveness for its purpose?
Is sufficient evidence provided to support the ideas and opinions presented?
Criterion 4: Accuracy
Are the sources of information stated?
Do the facts appear to be accurate?
Can you verify this information by comparing this source with other sources in the field?
Criterion 5: Currency
Are dates included in the Web site?
Do the dates apply to the material itself, to its placement on the Web, or to the time the site was last revised and updated?
Is the information current, or at least still relevant, for the sites purpose? For your purpose?
Helpful Analytical Tools for Analyzing Evidence
Questions for Rhetorical Analysis in Writing Arguments, 10th ed. (9293), from Richard Fulkersons
Teaching the Argument in Writing
STAR Criteria
SSufficiency: Is there enough evidence?
TTypicality: Is the chosen data representative of the group of data being argued about?
AAccuracy: Is the evidence accurate and up-to-date?
RRelevance: Is the evidence relevant to the claim?
Types of Assumptions
GASCAP
GArgument for a Generalization AArgument from Analogy SArgument from Sign CCausal Argument AArgument from Authority PArgument from Principle
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