Evaluating Websites as Sources

Why do I need to evaluate Web sites?
The vast majority of WWW sites are written by non-experts. Anyone can create a Web site, and frankly, anyone does!

No one has judged the quality or accuracy of the information found on the World Wide Web before you come across it, so you must evaluate the information you find.

What should I look for?
The following questions may help you determine the quality and accuracy of the information found on the Web.

1. Authority and Accuracy
   Since the internet is made up of a vast amount of information contributed by both experts and non-experts, it is important to find out who the author is and what the author’s qualifications and expertise are in order to determine the credibility and reliability of the information. A Web site author can be a person (/~jcsnyder), a corporation (.com), an academic institution (.edu), a government agency (.gov), a nonprofit organization (.org), a network of computers (.net), a military site (.mil), or a country sponsored site (.uk).
   
   Ask the following questions:
   • Who is the author? Can you tell by the URL (Web address), or caption at the bottom of the page?
   • What are the qualifications or expertise of the individual/group that created the site?
   • Does the Web site provide a means of communicating with the author or Webmaster? (e.g. e-mail or postal address, telephone number, etc.)
   • Is the information credible? Are there mistakes? Typographical errors, factual errors?
   
   
2. Purpose and Content
   Determine the purpose of the Web site by looking closely at the content of the information. Some sites provide links to about our organization or a Mission Statement, detailing the purpose in creating the Web site. The purpose of other sites might not be obvious at first. In fact, many individuals or groups claiming to be experts create pages that contain misinformation or language promoting viewpoints without backing the information with facts. So, you must take the time to thoroughly explore a Web site to determine if the information is subjective (biased or opinionated) or objective (factual), or mixed.
   
   Ask the following questions:
   •  What is the purpose of the Web site? (Look at the title and headings for clues.)
   • Is the purpose: to provide research and scholarly information? To provide educational or factual information? To entertain? To advertise, market or sell something? To advocate ideas? To persuade you? Or, is there another purpose?
   • Is there a link to a Mission Statement or about our organization page?
   • Does the site provide balanced, objective or factual information?
   • Does the site list their information sources? Are citations (also known as works cited or bibliography) offered, if appropriate?
   • Does the Web site provide subjective, editorial or opinion statements? Is the site a forum for a personal, political or ideological bias?
   • Is the point of view presented in a direct manner, or is it presented in an unbalanced and unreasonable way? Are arguments well supported?
   
   
3. Currency
   The currency or regularity of updating information is vital for some types information and not so important for others. For example, Web sites that provide historical information, such as the presidential papers of George Washington, do not have to be updated as often as compared to sites that provide news stories, health information, certain types of scientific information, or stock market information.
   
   Ask the following questions:
   • When was the Web site last revised, modified or updated?
   • Is the site well-maintained? Are links current and working or do they lead to outdated pages and/or error messages? Broken links are a sure sign that the page is not regularly maintained.
   
   
4. Other Hints
   • Try other search engines besides Google.
     • There is a vast array of engines, and they all will give you different search results. Some are even geared towards particular subjects or languages.
   • Keep in mind that web page designers can insert bits of code into their pages that will influence their page(s)’ ranking on search engines. In other words, the first hit that comes up is not always the best! Browse around before you make your selection.

 Adapted with permission from User Education Services, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, MD 20742.