"Who Done It?"

A basic but important exercise is to have students look closely at sites they use often. Challenge them to become sleuths and figure out what they can about the creator of the site. Is there an About This Site page or another link that offers them information about the people behind it? Is there copyright information at the bottom of the page? When was the site created or last updated? Is there an e-mail link that lets you write and ask for more information? What else can they find out about its author simply by using the information provided at the site itself?

It is important for students to get used to citing this sort of information as they complete their research. Just as there are standard rules for book citations, we need to develop rules for the Web. At the Landmark Project site, David Warlick shares his suggestions for the types of information to include in a bibliography-complete with a digital index card to guide students through the steps.