How to Evaluate a Website

Good Research is Based on a Variety of Sources. The Quality of Your Research is Only as Good as Your Sources.

Evaluating Web Sites

At a glance:

• What kind of site are you visiting? Is the information reliable? Look at the URL address. The endings can give you a clue to the type of site:

• 2-letter extensions (.au, .fr) indicate that the site originates in a foreign country (.au=Australia, .fr=France, etc.)
   
• Do you have background information on your topic?
   
• Is the author and/or source identified? If an organization, is the type and purpose of the organization stated? Can you contact the author? (Phone number and postal address should be given, not just email address).
   
• Does the author list his/her credentials and indicate a purpose for the web page? Do the author’s credentials match the subject of the web page?
   
• Does the author state sources for his/her information?
   
• Who is the audience for whom this web page is intended?
   
• Do you detect a bias in the writing? What is the author’s point of view?
   
• Can you verify the web site’s information with a print source?
   
• Is the information current? Is a date given when the page was written and when it was last revised? Is the coverage superficial or in-depth?
   
• Does the page suggest or hyperlink you to other sites for additional information? What are those sites like?
   
• More information about evaluating web sites can be found at these sites:
   
  • IMSA – 21st Century Information Fluency Project Portal
    http://21cif.imsa.edu/tools/evaluate
    This page from the Illinois Math and Science Academy offers a template to use when evaluating a site and offers helpful hints about how to get the information you need to do a good evaluation.
     
  • Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators –High School Critical Web Page Evaluation Tool
    http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/evalhigh.html
    A fill-in-the-blanks form for high school students to use.