Evaluating World Wide Web Resources

A Carolina Day School Library Helpsheet

  You have a lot of extra work to do when using the Internet for research.   Print resources (and subscription databases available on the Internet) have usually been through several layers of accuracy checking (publishers, editors, reviewers, librarians) before you use them.   On the World Wide Web, nothing stands between you and the information.   Beware!

Evaluation Criteria for Information Sources (not just electronic):                 

Accuracy            Authority            Objectivity               Currency            Coverage

First take a look at the web site in question and consider the following:

•  Purpose

•  Commercial, personal, political, etc.?

•  Ask yourself:   why is it worth the trouble to someone to produce and maintain this page?

•  Audience

•  Children, adults, students, experts, scholars, beginners, etc.?

•  Is this level of information appropriate for your needs?

•  Is the language appropriate for the level of the audience?

•  Functionality

•  Is the site well laid out and easy to navigate?

•  Is the information well organized:   subsections, index, search capabilities if the site is extensive

As you look for information on the site, consider the traditional criteria for information sources:

•  Accuracy

•  Does the information appear to be reliable?

•  Are there obvious errors on the page?

•  Remember, anyone can publish anything on the web.   Print sources come to you after checks by publishers, researchers, editors, librarians, etc.

•  Can you find similar information in more traditional sources?

•  Authority

•  Who's the author?   Is there one listed?

•  Is the author qualified or an expert?   How do you know for certain he is who he claims to be?

•  Have you seen the author in any bibliographies or articles about your topic in your other research?

•  Where did they get their information?   Are sources stated?   Are statistics attributed to reliable sources?

•  Who's actually paying for the web site—who is the sponsor?   Does the sponsor have an economic or political stake in the information presented?

•  Try to get to the home page of the site through links, fine print at the bottom of the page, or by cutting off the ends of the URL.

•  Notice the domain name:   .edu, .com, .gov, .org., etc.

•  ~name may indicate a personal home page

•  Objectivity

•  Is there advertising on the page?

•  Can you detect obvious bias?

•  Does the page seem to be trying to convert you to a particular point of view?

•  Currency

•  Is there a creation date on the page or has it been updated recently?

•  Are the links expired or moved?

•  Coverage

•  Is coverage extensive or limited?   Does it have what you need?

•  Is it an overview of a topic or an in-depth study?

•  Is the coverage of the topic limited to a certain time period?

•  Is information offered here that you cannot easily find elsewhere (current statistics, for example)?                                                            

ks 4-01