Evaluation Criteria for Web Sites

Accuracy

Accuracy is important because:

1. Anyone can publish anything on the web

2. Unlike traditional print resources, web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers

3. Currently, no web standards exist to ensure accuracy

Use the following questions to evaluate accuracy:

ü Is the information reliable?

ü Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?

Authority

Authority is important because:

1. See number 1 above

2. It's often hard to determine a Web page's authorship

3. Even if a page is signed, qualifications aren't usually given

4. Sponsorship isn't usually indicated

Use the following questions to evaluate authority:

ü Is there an author? Is the page signed?

ü Is the author qualified? An expert?

ü Who is the sponsor? Is the sponsor of the page reputable? How reputable?

ü Is there a link to information about the author or the sponsor?

ü If the page includes neither a signature, nor indicates a sponsor, is there any other way to determine its origin? (Look for a header or footer showing affiliation; Look at the URL. http://www.fbi.gov; and/or, look at the domain. .edu, .com,.org,)

Objectivity

Objectivity is important because:

1. Frequently the goals of the sponsors/authors aren't clearly stated.

2. Often the Web serves as a virtual a "soapbox," for a person or organization with a   specific social, personal or political agenda.

Use the following questions to evaluate objectivity:

ü Does the information show a minimum of bias?

ü Is the page designed to sway opinion?

ü Is there any advertising on the page?

Currency

Currency is important because:

1. The publication or revision dates are not always provided.

2. If a date is provided, it may have various meanings. For example: It may indicate when the material was first written; it may indicate when the material was first placed on the Web; or it may indicate when the material was last revised.

Use the following questions to evaluate currency:

ü Is the page dated?

ü If so, when was the last update?

ü How current are the links? Have some expired or moved?

Coverage

Coverage is important because:

1. Web coverage often differs from print coverage.

2. Frequently, it's difficult to determine the extent of coverage

3. Sometimes web information is just-for-fun or outright silliness

Use the following questions to evaluate coverage:

ü What topics are covered?

ü What does this page offer that is not found elsewhere?

ü What is its intrinsic value?

ü How in-depth is the material?

This handout adapted from : Beck, Susan.  "Evaluation Criteria."  The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources.  2003. http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html