Evaluating Online Sources

1) Open the site

2) Skim the site

Next, skim read the site and determine whether you can read and understand the text. If it’s too complicated or difficult to understand, find another website.

3) Look for the answer to your question

If you think the site might prove useful, you now need to find out if the information on the site actually answers your question. You could use a search box, navigation menu, or pull up your own search box by pressing Control/Command F. Type in the keywords you’re looking for.

Stop skimming, and read more closely to see if this information is useful to you.

4) Consider the credibility of the author or website

If the information is there, you need to consider the credibility of the author or website. Can you rely on the information?

Here are some things you can look for on the website:

• Domain — sometimes domains that include .gov or .edu come from more trustworthy education or government sources.

• Author information — look at at the author bio or About page. How qualified is this person?

• Design — we can’t judge a book (or website!) by its cover but sites that are cluttered, difficult to navigate, or look amateurish may be worth avoiding.

• Sources — trustworthy articles usually link to other sources or cite where their facts come from.

5) Consider the purpose of the site

The next step is to think about the purpose of the site and whether it meets your needs.

• Is the author trying to make you think a certain way? Are they biased or one-sided?

• Are they trying to sell you something? Sometimes ads might not be so obvious, for example, blog posts can be written to promote a product.

• Is the author’s tone calm and balanced? Articles fueled by anger or extreme opinions are not going to be the best source of information.

• Do the headlines match the article? Or are they simply designed to hook readers?

• Is the author trying to educate the audience and present a balanced and factual picture? This is what you usually want.

6) Look for the date

Finally, it’s important to consider whether the information is current enough for your topic. You can look for when the article was written or it might tell you when it was last updated. Sometimes URLs include dates as well.

Crosscheck

When you overcome all these hurdles and find some information that looks useful and reliable, it can be a good idea to crosscheck the information. So, have a look at a few other websites to see if they corroborate the information you’ve found.

It’s important to remember that you can’t believe everything you read and it’s essential to consider multiple perspectives.

Morris, Kathleen. "How to Teach Online Research Skills to Students in 5 Steps (Free eBook and Posters)." Primary Tech by Kathleen Morris, 23 Feb. 2018, kathleenamorris.com/2018/02/23/research-filter/.