Not all of the information retrieved from the World Wide Web is reliable and comprehensive. Evaluating a web site is therefore necessary to determine if the information is authoritative.
When evaluating a web site, consider the following questions:
Purpose
- Who is the intended audience?
- What is the intended age or academic level?
- Is the scope or purpose of the site clearly stated?
- How does the site compare with related sources, both electronic and print?
Source
- Are the author/creator's name and credentials clearly stated?
- Is the author affiliated with a reputable organization?
- Is contact information for the author or organization provided?
- Is there a tilde (~) indicating a personal web page included in the URL? If so the author's credentials and/or affiliation should be stated.
- Is there an obvious bias? Is the web site designed for promotional purposes?
- What is the URL or domain name? In the United States:
.com indicates a commercial site intended to promote or sell products
.edu indicates an educational site (usually a college or university)
.gov is used by the U.S. government or affiliated agency
.org is used by professional and other organizations
- In other countries, in addition to the above domain names, a country code is often used (e.g. Canada's country code is .ca)
Content
- Is information current? When was the last update? What was updated? Are updates done regularly?
- Is the information stable? Will the web site be there the next time you browse?
- Is the origin of the content documented and verifiable? (i.e. footnotes or other appropriate references)
- Is the content well organized and logically presented?
- How much information does the web page actually provide?
- Does the information provided contradict information in other sources?
- Has the web page been reviewed?
- Is the page clearly written and descriptive with no spelling mistakes, grammar errors or an excess of jargon?
Design
- Is the format appropriate for the kind of information provided?
- Is the site user-friendly? Is navigation and use of the site intuitive?
- Are images informative or used merely for decoration?
- Do pages contain the following:
- copyright date or date page was last updated
- email address
- a link to the web site's home page
- Is the text easy to read and are the graphics clear and representative?
- Is the page slow to load because the graphics are too elaborate?
- What is the quality of the multimedia? Is it appropriate for the site?
- If special software is required, can it easily be downloaded?
- Is a search capability offered on extensive sites?
- Do the links work? Are dead links removed or updated promptly?
- Are the links appropriate to the content of the page? Do they add to its overall purpose?
For further information on evaluating Internet resources, consult the following web sites: