| Format: | Book, CD-ROM, Web site | |
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| Arrangement: | Presentation of the information within the item. Alphabetical? Chronological? By importance? By location? | |
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| Accuracy: | Correctness-several resources agree | |
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| Timeliness: | More important in some disciplines than others. Do not rely only on publication date, also check date of works cited. | |
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| Authority: | Who wrote it and what are his/her qualifications? Does the author’s degree relate to the content? | |
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| References: | Does the author cite books or journal? A sufficient number for the amount of material? Are the citations from reputable works by reputable authors? | |
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| Publisher: | Main line, well known? Self published? | |
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| Scope: | Breadth and depth of information provided. | |
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| Style: | Word choice, tone of voice, point of view, vocabulary | |
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| Type of Document: | Primary Research - original experiments | |
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| Primary Source: | Letters, diaries, photos | |
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| Secondary Source: | Quotes and comments on primary sources, a synthesis of current thought on a topic (encyclopedias, articles) 1. Look for a personal name – you need to investigate the author very carefully
2. Government sites – look for .gov, .mil, .us
3. Educational sites – look for .edu
4. Nonprofit organizations – look for .org
5. Commercial sites - look for .com and .net (most unreliable - need to evaluate carefully!) | |
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| Who is the originator or author of the site? | 1. An email address with no additional information about the author is not sufficient. 2. Is the originator well-known or well-respected - what credentials are listed? | |
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| Are the mission, goals, and objectives clearly stated? | 1. Is it a Public Service site? Advertisement? Designed for Entertainment? Personal Home Page? Promotion of Special Interest Group? Homework Assignment? 2. Try to determine why the site is on the web. | |
| What is the last update to the page? | 1. How recent the date needs to be depends on your needs. 2. For some topics you want current information. 3. For others, you want information put on the web near the time it became known. 4. In some cases, the importance of the date is to tell you whether the page author is still maintaining an interest in the page or has abandoned it. 5. Undated factually or statistical information is no better than anonymous information – DON’T use it! | |
| What graphics, animations, images, and sounds are on the site? | 1. Are there links to other pages? 2. Do the links work? 3. Are they reliable sources? | |
| What kind of stories, messages, or articles, resources are posted? | 1. Are they documented? 2. Are they well researched? 3. Is statistical data clearly labeled? 4.Typographical or spelling errors? 5. Pages easily loaded? | |
Who is the intended target audience?
| Is there a bias indicated on the page or through the links? Especially when you agree with something, check for bias. Limited coverage or point of view? | |
| Is there contact information for your comments or feedback? | | |
| Does the site include references and credentials? | 1. Is the page merely an opinion? Is the page a rant, an extreme view, possible exaggerated? 2. You should hold the author to the same degree of credentials, authority and documentation that you would expect from something published in a reputable print source (book, journal article, newspaper). | |
EVALUATION WEBSITES
CITING INTERNET RESOURCES