Science on the Web: Student Evaluations of Scientific Arguments Sarah K. Brem Division of Psychology in Education Arizona State University Janet Russell School of Educational Policy and Leadership Ohio State University Lisa Weems Educational Leadership Miami University The World Wide Web is rapidly growing as a source of scientific information for the layperson. We analyzed Web presentations of scientific arguments and how stu- dents evaluate those arguments. Our findings suggest that argumentation can be de- scribed as a situated activity. Web sites presented challenges relating to multiple layers of argument, missing evidence and evidence that cannot be corroborated, and insufficient detail. These characteristics of Web sites exacerbated weaknesses in students’ skills of argument. Student weaknesses stemmed from their episte- mological stance, their overreliance on surface features rather than systematic anal- ysis, metacognitive failures, and a failure to understand the nature of science and publishing. As a source of scientific information, the Web presents both challenges and op- portunities. Almost anyone can publish on the Web; there is no peer review, no editors, and Web publishing is relatively inexpensive. However, as misinforma- tion becomes more readily accessible, so do the tools for uncovering it. Search engines allow us to locate additional information and alternative viewpoints; ex- amining uniform resource locators (URLs), hyperlinks, source code, and page DISCOURSE PROCESSES, 32(2&3), 191–213 Copyright © 2001, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to Sarah K. Brem, Division of Psychology in Education, P.O. Box 870611, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287–0611. E-mail: Sarah.Brem@asu.edu