Library:

Criteria

Ask Yourself

Accuracy

The most important part of evaluating a web site is verifying the accuracy of the content. Much of the information on the web cannot be corroborated by other sources, and therefore should not be used for academic research projects.

• Are the facts documented in bibliography or list of works cited?
• Can you verify the facts presented using another source?
• Is more than one source used as background information for the site?
• Is the site up-to-date?
• Has significant information been omitted?
• Is the information biased or one-sided

Authority

When evaluating any site you need to consider both the author of the information and the sponsor of the site.

• Are the author and site's sponsor clearly identified?
• Is contact information easily accessible?
• Is the author qualified to write about this subject?
• Is the author well known in his/her field?
• Is the site's sponsor reputable?

Usefulness

A fundamental aspect of evaluating web sites is deciding whether or not the information meets your needs or answers your question.

• Does the site address the topic?
• Is the site comprehensive, or does it just give a brief overview?
• Does the site link to other relevant, high-quality sites?
• Will using the information enhance your research project?
• Is the information actually the information you need?

Currency

It doesn't always matter if the information on a web site is current-it will depend on your topic. If you are working with a time-sensitive topic like medicine or law, it is usually necessary to get the most current information possible.

• Does obviously outdated information appear on the page?
• Can you find out when the page was last updated?
• Does it have a copyright year?
• Are the links pointing to up-to-date pages?