Research Guides: Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria for Website Evaluation

Criteria for evaluating web sites

This list is a guide for evaluating information found on the Internet. It can also be applied to print sources and media.

ACCURACY
How reliable is the information? Remember, almost anyone can publish on the web. As opposed to scholarly print media, many web sites are not verified. There are no web standards to ensure accuracy.

AUTHORITY
What are the author’s qualifications for writing on this subject? How reputable is the publisher? It is often difficult to determine the authorship and qualifications. The publisher information is often absent.

OBJECTIVITY
Is there bias? Are the goals or aims of the individual or group clearly stated? Remember that many people consider the web as a place to state their opinions.

CURRENCY
Is the content up-to-date? Often dates are omitted or may mean the date that the information was originally written, the date it was placed on the web, or the date it was last revised.

COVERAGE
What topics are covered and to what depth? Coverage may differ from print resources.

AFFILIATION
Is there a corporate entity (i.e. company, government, organization, university) that supports this site? Is there a link to the homepage of the organization? Is there contact information such as an email link and a snail mail address? How might this affiliation affect objectivity?

AUDIENCE
For what audience is the material intended? Is it for students in elementary school? Middle school? High school? Is it for adults? How difficult is the material?

STABILITY OF INFORMATION
It’s here today but will it be here tomorrow? Can you cite it with some assurance that it will be found again?

PRIVILEGE
Were there limitations on who has access to the research or information? Or who is able to publish the work? Think about if there is anyone else who might contribute a different perspective to the information. Seek out those voices might be missing, left-out, or not prioritized in the work.

Web site evaluation video

CRAP TEST for Evaluating Sources

You can use this list as a guide for evaluating your sources, whether they are websites or from SVC resources.
You don't need to be able to answer all the questions but use the list as a general evaluating tool.

CURRENCY	How recent is the information, does it matter to your topic? Has the resource been consistently updated/revised? Are links current and working?
RELEVANCE	Is the information really relevant to your topic? Does the creator provide references or sources for data or ideas? Are there errors?
AUTHORITY	Who is the creator, author or sponsor? What credentials does the author or organization have? Does their experience or education indicate that they could be considered "experts"? Is information about the creator easily found? Is information provided about funding sources or data gathering for the work?
PURPOSE / POINT OF VIEW	What is the the purpose of the site? Is it obvious what it's for? Are they trying to sell you something or promote an idea? Who is the intended audience? Is there a strong bias, an aggressive use of language, or a balanced tone? Are there lots of pop-ups and irrelevant ads?

Additional help with evaluation

The Internet gives us many places to help learn how to determine if a website is credible. Here are come examples: