Countless web pages are available on just about every topic, but how can you know what's worthwhile or credible? Evaluation of web pages and websites has become a necessary part of the research process, and a means to sharpen your own critical thinking skills. Some of the fundamental questions to consider during evaluation are:
AUTHORSHIP
Note that "author" can mean a person or organization. |
- Who is the author of the website?
- What are the author's credentials? Is the author an authority on the subject? Is it another student? A professor? Your next door neighbor?
- Is the author an organization? What do you know (or what can you find out) about this organization? What is its purpose?
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ACCURACY
Information must be judged accurate and verifiable before you use it in your own research or assignments. |
- Is the site edited well? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Is it written in a style that you would expect for the topic and audience?
- Don't accept the information at face value - you'll need to take time to consult other sources (including non-web sources) to verify accuracy fully
- Does the information on the site "fit" with other information that you have on the topic? Or are there discrepancies with other sources of information?
- Does the author provide a way to verify information on this site? Are footnotes, citations, or sources provided?
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CURRENCY
Look at both the date of publication and update, as well as the dates for any cited information. |
- Is the page or website being updated and maintained?
- When was the page written? Last updated or revised?
- How current is the information? Does this fit your needs? Note that website content written in May 2008 might contain information from 1975.
- Be aware that "Last updated" may mean any update on the page, including stylistic changes such as different colors or layout - not necessarily changes to content.
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CONTENT
Does the information on the website meet your research or information needs? |
- How detailed is the information - is it basic or advanced?
- Is the coverage of the topic complete? Does it leave out important information? Does it offer more than one perspective?
- Is the web page part of a longer document? Sometimes you will need to look at more than one page to get the complete picture.
- Is there a bibliography or links to other information on the topic? How were the links selected? Are the other sources mentioned relevant and credible?
- How does the content compare with other resources (books, journal articles, other web pages) on the same topic?
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PURPOSE
The purpose of the site should be clear. Be aware that some sites present opinion as fact in order to sell or persuade. |
- Does this site present fact or opinion?
- What is the purpose of the site? To inform? To sell? To persuade?
- Is the site objective, showing multiple sides of an issue? Bias is not necessarily reason to reject a source - but be sure that you can identify it.
- Who is the intended audience? Advanced researchers in a field? Elementary school students? Members of a particular organization or viewpoint?
- If there is advertising on the page, does this affect the content?
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DESIGN
Visual layout, choice of images and media files often have an impact on a website's professional credibility. |
- What kind of information - textual, visual, aural - does the page present, and does this add or detract from the page's usefulness or legibility?
- Do image or other media files slow down load time or navigation through the website?
- Do the different design components work, or are images, sound files, etc. unable to display, play, or run?
- Does the web page require specific add-on software in order to read, see, print, or listen to resources linked on the page? Is that add-on software readily available or must it be purchased?
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