Checklist for Evaluating Websites and their Content
Authorship. Identify the author of the material, and determine if he or she is a reputable authority on the topic. Do you recognize the name as someone prominent in the field? If not, does the author provide information about his or her credentials? Does the author provide contact information (mailing address, phone number, e-mail, etc.) for further inquiry? If these types of identifiers are absent, did you link to this website from another trustworthy site? (You can also search for information on the author using Google.)
Publishing Entity. Identify the organization or company that maintains the website, and whether it is of an academic or scholarly nature. Are there logos, watermarks, or other identifiers? If not, can you tell from the domain name extension? (If the domain name ends in .edu, the entity is usually affiliated with an educational institution; if it ends in .org, this indicates a non-profit organization, etc.) Is the webmaster’s name and/or contact information provided? One technique to determine the hosting website is to "chop off" the specific sub-web page (all after the first / ) and look at the root web site; for example, if you chop the end off of https://www.norfolkacademy.org/academics/upper-school and search just for https://www.norfolkacademy.org, you can see who posted the document.
Objectivity. Determine what influence of bias or point of view is manifested by the source. If the perspective seems controversial, does the author explicitly acknowledge this? Is there a bibliography or list of related sources? Can you tell anything about the relationship between the author and the publisher? Does the author or publishing entity have a particular political or philosophical agenda? (Most non-profit organizations have a mission or purpose statement that will provide some insight.) Is there advertising or sponsorship present that might influence the website content? Is the author or publishing entity trying to sell a product, directly or indirectly, via the website?
Accuracy. Evaluate the potential for verifying the material presented. Are there footnotes, endnotes, or other citations that would allow you to check its accuracy? If there are no references, does the website indicate that the material has been reproduced or excerpted from another source where you might find such references? Is the material a transcription of an oral presentation, such as a public lecture, given by a trustworthy source?
Currency. Determine how old the information is and whether it is updated regularly. Does the website clearly indicate the date of posting and date of last revision, if applicable? If the material presented is in the form of a document, is there a copyright date? If the content includes data, are the dates of research indicated (e.g., 2000 US Census data)?