Website Evaluation
It's important to remember that anyone can post anything on the web. The five steps below will help you quickly discern good websites from bad. 1. DETERMINE PURPOSE - Is the purpose of the website to sell a product/service or convince the user of a particular opinion? Is the information site relevant to the topic? 2. AUTHORITY - What are the author's credentials? Does he/she have the necessary education or professional experience to be a known or respected source? Or, is the sponsoring organization qualified in its field? Can you contact the author through email or other contact information? 3. ACCURACY - Do the links work? Do you find spelling or grammatical errors? - if so, you may want to re-consider the credibility of the website. Are footnotes or bibliographies provided that support the author's information? Is the Website designed to be an informational page or a entertainment site? 4. TIMELINESS - Is the site current enough for your research? Is a copyright or revision date posted? 5. BALANCED TREATMENT - Is the site fair and objective? Is it an advocacy site? Can you spot the author's point of view?
The above guidelines are derived from the following websites: http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/library/computerlit/evaluation.html http://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/courses/evaluation/edeval.htm |