EVALUATING WEB SITES

Accuracy, Authority, Coverage, Currency, Objectivity

Accuracy: How reliable is this information?

Almost anyone can put information on the web and everything you find there is not true.

· Are sources listed clearly so they can be verified in another source?

· Is the page free of grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors? (These indicate a lack of quality control.)

· Who is responsible for the accuracy of the content?

Authority: How qualified is the author?

· Is it clear who wrote and posted the page?

· Does the page contain information on the author’s purpose?

· What are the author’s qualifications for writing the information?

Coverage: What topics are included and how deep is the coverage?

· Does the page indicate that it is complete, or, is it under construction?

· Is there a print equivalent? If yes, is the entire work online or only parts?

· If the material is based on a print work, has there been an effort to update the material on the web?

Currency: How recently was the page posted?

· When was the page written?

· When was the page posted to the web?

· When was the page revised?

Objectivity: Is the information presented with a minimum of bias?

Biased statements contain words that try to persuade rather than inform.

· Does the information try to sway your opinion?

· Is the information provided as a public service?

· Is the information free of advertising?