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Evaluating Web Resources |
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Evaluating Web Resources |
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Books and journal articles must go through editorial processes (such as fact-checking) that Web pages do not usually go through. While ALL information sources, print AND electronic, must be evaluated for Authority, Objectivity, Accuracy and Currency, Web resources must be scrutinized even more closely.
(The more questions you can answer "yes" to the more reliable the site.)
| 1. Authority | ||
| Is the person or organization responsible for the content stated? | ||
| Rule of thumb – if you cannot identify the responsible party you should not use the source. | ||
| Are the credentials listed? | ||
| Is there an "About Us" link? | ||
| Does this link include a physical address and phone number? | ||
| Is there an email address to contact the webmaster? | ||
| Can you verify the autobiographical information? | ||
| Is it a .edu or .gov or .org domain? | ||
| Questions / points to consider: | ||
| Why was this site published? | ||
| Use http://www.betterwhois.com/ to determine who owns the domain name. | ||
| 2. Objectivity | ||
| Is the information provided as a public service? | ||
| Is the site free from advertising? | ||
| Questions / points to consider: | ||
| Is the site trying to make money? If so, how? Advertising is not wrong if the ads are easy to differentiate from the content. You should beware of advertising that can influence content. A site that is attempting to sell you something should usually be avoided. | ||
| Sites espousing a particular point of view need not be ignored. A web page may use highly reliable data to influence readers. But you should be aware of the bias. | ||
| What is NOT being said? | ||
| 3. Accuracy | ||
| Is the information reliable? (Is the information NOT contrary to common sense?) | ||
| Is any evidence given? | ||
| Are the sources listed & can you check them? | ||
| Is the information meant to be accepted as fact? | ||
| Is the content free from grammatical, spelling and typographical errors? | ||
| Questions / points to consider: | ||
| Remember – when in doubt, doubt. | ||
| 4. Currency | ||
| Does your topic limit your needs? For instance, a research paper on new HIV/AIDS drugs would require that recent articles be obtained while a project on developing a business plan would not have that requirement. | ||
| Check the date the Web page was last updated. | ||
| Does the content give a clue as to when the information was written? | ||
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This page was last updated on 10/16/02 |
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