Website Evaluation

One of the most important digital literacy skills that students need today is to learn how to evaluate websites to determine if they are an accurate source of information.  There are many different aspects of a website to look at, but below are some easy ways to determine if a website is likely to be accurate.

If you are struggling, here's another list of criteria that you can look at to help determine the reliability of the website:

1. Spelling/Mechanics - is the spelling mostly accurate? Is the information well written?

   1. 1. Typos are always possible, and one or two is not a big red flag. If there are many typos, though, it's a sign that it's not a strong source.

      2. Look out for grammar and punctuation, as well.

2. Currency - when was the website last updated? 

   1. 1. If the topic is a historical topic, it may not matter if the website hasn't been updated in a long time.

      2. If the topic is more modern or current, the information should be recent and up to date.

3. Professional Looking - is the website well-organized, easy to navigate, and "clean"?

   1. 1. Does the website look like a professional made it?

      2. As "Do-It-Yourself" website creators become more accessible and easier to use, this may not be as easy to identify.

4. Broken Links - when you click a link, does it work? Does it take you to the correct location? 

   1. 1. Broken links are not uncommon, due to the ever changing nature of the Web, but when there are many broken links on a Web site, it might be an indication that the site isn't maintained on a regular basis. 

5. Domain - Is it a .com, .org, .gov, .me, .edu?

   1. 1. In the past, a domain extension would be a good indication of a websites trustworthiness. However, today, regular people can set up their domains as .com, .net, .org, .my, and many others, so it is not necessarily a good indicator any more.

      2. .edu domains are websites associated with educational institutions (colleges, university, schools). However, students may have webpages through the school that are not vetted for accuracy, so be cautious.

      3. .gov domains are governmental websites and should be considered trustworthy

      4. .org domains were primarily non-profits, but are now able to created by anyone.

6. Who authored the site? Are they an expert? Do they have biases?

   1. 1. If no author is listed, is the sponsor identified? 

      2. When trying to determine reliability of information, you should have an idea of what the author's credentials, educational background, and whether or not they have an obvious bias. If the author has a bias (ie - political, religious, etc.) the information may not be entirely reliable. The author may be able to separate their views from the information, but it's something to be cautious of.

7. Does it make sense? - does the information provided on the website match up with what you already know to be true?

   1. 1. Does this make sense with facts you already know about the topic, or about the world in general?

      2. Always compare the information that you find on a Website with other information sources, as well. Typically, you'd want to use more than just Web sources for a research paper. How does the information from the other sources (magazines, books, articles, etc.) compare?

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