It is essential for every good researcher to check sources for accuracy and reliability before publishing or submitting a research paper or project. Many guidelines have been written about evaluating websites. All have the following criteria in common:
Accuracy
• Can you find this information in other places?
• Is the information reliable and free of errors
Authority
• Who is the author or creator?
• Is the author associated with a reputable organization or university?
• Can the author be contacted from the website?
• Is there a list of sources used or recommended by the author?
• Is the URL domain non-commercial?
Content
• Is the information presented without bias?
• Is the information covered well?
• Is the information relevant to your topic?
Currency
• Does the page include the date it was created?
• Has the information been updated?
Accessibility
• Is the page easy to search?
• Does the page download quickly?
• Is the information well-organized?
For More Information
Life Beyond Yahoo: Evaluating Information
http://www.oakton.edu/resource/stuserv/netjobs/jobsites/index.html
Evaluation Criteria
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources
http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/
Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages
http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/webcrit.html
Bare Bones 101: Evaluating Web Pages
http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml
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