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