Evaluating Web Sites
When conducting research, each source of information must be reviewed with care to ensure that the information you use reflects the quality, authority, perspective and balance that best supports the topic you have selected. This is especially true when using Internet resources. Anyone, regardless of his or her knowledge and educational background, can disseminate information over the Internet. Use the criteria below to assess the quality of information taken from an Internet source, but keep in mind that the relevance of these criteria are completely dependent upon the particular topic and focus you have chosen.
Selected websites are listed and annotated on each subject page.
Coverage and Scope
- Does the source present multiple viewpoints and issues or is it specialized, focusing on one aspect of the topic?
- Does it provide enough evidence to support its claims or positions?
- What is the relative value of the Web site in comparison to the range of information sources available on this topic, including non-Internet works?
- What time period is covered?
- Are links to other resources current? Are they appropriate and relevant to the topic of the source?
Accuracy and Quality
- Can the information in the source be verified from another source?
- Are the facts accurate?
- Are sources of information stated? Are there references or a bibliography?
Authority and Affiliation
- Is the source signed? Is more information about the author available at the site (a link to information on the author)?
- Are the author's credentials available (occupation, years of experience, position, education, etc.)?
- Is contact information provided for the author?
- Is the source affiliated with an organization or institution? Is the affiliation evident in the header of the page? Is there a link to the home page of the site?
- The domain name in the URL of the source can provide clues about affiliated organizations or institutions: edu if the page is generated at or by an educational institution; com if it is generated by a commercial entity; gov if by a government agency; etc.
- Does the affiliated organization or institution endorse the information in the source or merely provide space on a server for personal pages? Again, the URL provides a clue. The presence of a tilde ( ~ ) generally indicates a personal page, as in www.acd.ccac.edu/~jdoe/home.html
- You cannot evaluate what you cannot verify. If neither author nor publisher (affiliation) is available, it is unwise to use the information in the source.
Objectivity and Purpose
- What is the motivation for the page? Does the source inform, explain, or persuade?
- Are several points of view presented (objectivity)?
- What is the level of information presented on the page? Is it scholarly or popular? Is it designed for students, lay people, or for professionals or practitioners in a specialized area?
- Is the material an advertisement or a mask for advertising?
- Is there sufficient evidence to support conclusions?
Currency
- How important is currency to your topic?
- Is the source updated regularly or is it static? Is the date of the last update stated?
- If the date is not given on the page, use the "Page info" option in the "View" menu to check for a date (This date should not, however, be used in the citation for the source).
- Are there references or a bibliography for time-sensitive source material? If not, is the timeliness of source information indicated? (e.g., "based on 1990 census") If you cannot ascertain where the statistical or other time-sensitive information comes from, or what its age is, you are looking at anonymous information and should not use this material for your research.