Evaluating Web Sites

Authority

• Who sponsors or created the web site?
• Is there information about the sponsor or creator?
• Does the address include .com, .edu, .gov, a tilde (~), or .org?

Accuracy

• Check information against a known reliable source

Bias

• Are personal views expressed?

Currency

• When was the site created? Updated?
• Are links up-to-date and active?

Coverage

• Is topic covered completely (thoroughly, in-depth) OR, is it partial (abridged, shortened, superficial)?
• Is the webpage still under construction?

Rationale for Evaluating What You Find on the Web

The World Wide Web can be a great place to research many topics.  But putting documents or pages on the web is easy, cheap or free, unregulated, and unmonitored (at least in the USA) and therefore the reader must be sceptical of the information included until the site is evaluated. 

It is the responsiblity of the reader to establish the validity, authorship, timeliness, and integrity of what the reader finds. Documents can easily be copied and falsified or copied with omissions and errors both intentionally or accidentally. In the general World Wide Web there are no editors (unlike most print publications) to proofread and "send it back" or "reject it" until it meets the standards of a publishing house's reputation.

Factors for Evaluating Websites.docx

Evaluating Websites Checklist.docx