Website Evaluation

Why do we need to evaluate a website?

• Anyone can put any information on the internet

• You must make sure that the information you are getting is accurate.

• You must make sure that the website you are using is a dependable resource.

To properly evaluate a website, consider the following:

Author

• Who is the author?

• What are the author's credentials, experience, education?

• Is the author an expert in the subject area you are researching?

• Organization - What is the reputation of the organization behind the website?

• Look for 'About Us', 'FAQs', or Author Profile on website. (These are usually available from the home page. Truncate the url to get to the home page.)

Accuracy

• Where did the author get the information?

• Are there typos or spelling errors?

• Does the information seem accurate?

Relevance

• Does the website provide information that helps you with your research?

• Are you able to find relevant information easily on the website?

Reliability

• Does the website seem to be trying to persuade you to a particular opinion?

• .com - Is the website trying to sell you something? Are there a lot of advertisements?

Sources Cited

• Does the author cite the sources for his information on the website?

• Does the information come from dependable sources?

• What links are provided by the author? Do the links work? Are they useful?