| Please note: We are keeping this page up, but have
begun to use it less and less in instruction. As a result, we are no longer updating the links on it or adding to it. Instead, we are emphasizing
the importance of evaluating web sites on content rather than some
of the criteria listed below. Spoof pages such as gatt.org are now
designed well enough to appear to meet the criteria. Of the criteria
listed here, the most important one to still consider is the first
one: authority. The others follow from it naturally. If you'd like
to contact us about different
approaches to teaching website evaluation, please do!
The fact that
information appears on the web does not necessarily make it reliable
information. There are no required standards or rules to be met
before putting information on the Internet, so the degree of reliability
and quality found on web pages can vary greatly. It is very important
to be able to evaluate the information and resources that you find
on the Internet.
The following criteria should be considered in determining the quality of
information found on a web page:
Authority
- Can the author of the page be determined?
- Is contact information provided (name, email, phone number or address)?
- Is the author affiliated with an organization? Or is the author speaking for him or her self?
- Are qualifications or credentials for the individual or organization provided?
- Good Example:
- The page on Asian Study has an author, contact information and institutional
affiliation.
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html
- Questionable Example:
- This page about raising puppies provides no indication of who wrote the page. (Except for a cryptic Wantanbe at the foot of the page.)
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5000/tips.html
Objectivity
- Does the author have a bias or agenda? (Is this bias stated or hidden?)
- Does the author indicate his or her goal in providing the information?
- Is there a disclaimer included in page?
- "Objectivity" can work closely with "Authority"
- Good Example:
- The American Cancer Society clearly states the goal in providing the information
and does not appear to have a bias for the type of information provided.
http://www.cancer.org/
- Questionable Example:
- This page provides an article about Attention Deficit Disorder with
recommended nutritional treatments, however the author of the page is linked to a
company that sells nutritional supplements.
http://www.all-natural.com/add.html
Accuracy/Coverage
- Is the source of information provided?
- Who is the intended audience?
- What is the focus of the information?
- What is the depth of coverage of the information?
- Remember that almost anyone can publish on the web
- Good Example:
- A page provided Holocaust information and resources from a variety of
sources and organizations.
http://www.socialstudies.com/c/@EOW_f3bSqI81w/Pages/holo.html
- Questionable Example:
- This is a review of a book on anti-Semitism, published by a Holocaust Denial organization.
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v03/v03p469_Rollins.html
Currency
- Are dates included ("First Posted" date, "Last Updated" date)?
- Is the information current or out of date?
- Good Example:
- A travel guide for China that provides current
information and a "Last Updated" date.
http://www.travelnotes.org/Asia/china.htm/
- Questionable Example:
- This local business directory for Cancun has no "Last Updated" date and no
indication of the date when the directory was created.
http://www.allaboutcancun.com/localbusinesses.htm
Other things to consider
- Does the presentation appear professional (no typos, misspelling)?
- Is the page easy to use and well organized?
- Do the links from the page connect adequately?
- Is special software necessary to view the entire page?
- Remember that the Internet can also be a vehicle or medium
for reliable information such as periodical databases provided
by the library (Examples: EBSCO, FirstSearch)
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