Evaluating web-sources: Internet literacy and L2 academic writing

Using the World Wide Web (hereinafter the ‘Web’) has become an increasingly viable way to source information in academic writing. However, the Web is a fundamentally different type of resource from conventional sources such as books and journals. This paper argues that there is a need among learners for a heightened critical awareness of web-source nuances. Specifically, although the Web contains a much greater amount of information than conventional research sources, a great proportion of its sites harbour ideological agendas. It is suggested that L2 learners, in particular, may require both consciousness raising and practice in recognizing the biases that exist in websites. The paper concludes by describing a pilot study which produced some practical steps that teachers can take to introduce and enhance Internet literacy.