Website EvaluationWebsite Evaluation

Content adapted from: Beck, Susan. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources.  1997.  http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html

Image courtesy of Kristen King

Spend a few minutes exploring this site. What are your general impressions of the webpage?

Five Criteria for Web Five Criteria for Web EvaluationEvaluationAuthority

Accuracy

Objectivity

Currency

Coverage

AuthorityAuthorityIs there an author? Is the author

qualified?◦Look for a header or footer showing

affiliation. ◦Look at the URL. http://www.fbi.gov ◦Look at the

domain: .edu, .com, .uk, .org, .netAnyone can publish anything on the

web. It is often hard to determine a web

page's authorship.

Are you able to identify the author of this site and/or the organization who created it? If not, how might that affect the usefulness of the information?

AccuracyAccuracyIs the information reliable and

error-free?Is there an editor or someone who

verifies/checks the information?Unlike traditional print resources,

web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers.

Currently, no web standards exist to ensure accuracy.

Does the author cite any of his sources on the site? If not, how might that affect the accuracy of the information?

ObjectivityObjectivityDoes the information show a

minimum of bias?Is the page designed to sway

opinion?Is there any advertising on the

site?Websites are often a “soapbox”

for personal opinion.

Is there any evidence of bias on this page? If so, how might that affect the usefullness of the information?

CurrencyCurrencyIs the page dated?If so, when was the last update?How current are the links? Have

some expired or moved?Publication or revision dates are

not always provided.

Is this page up to date? If not, how might that affect the usefulness of the information?

CoverageCoverageWhat topics are covered?What does this page offer that is

not found elsewhere?How in-depth is the material?Frequently, it's difficult to

determine the extent of coverage of a topic from a web page. The page may or may not include links to other web pages or print references.

Does this site provided detailed/in-depth information? If not, how might that affect the usefulness of the information?

Remember: A Good Website Remember: A Good Website Has…Has…

Authority

Accuracy

Objectivity

Currency

Coverage