FSHA Library

Use the information on this page to help you evaluate websites.

EVAL CRITERIA     WEB EVAL LINKS      WEBSITES FOR EVALUATION

1. Accuracy 
2. Authority 
3. Objectivity
4. Currency
5. Coverage

Download the Website Evaluation Worksheet.

§         What is the purpose of the site? Why was it produced? Is it trying to sell, inform, persuade, or entertain?

§         Is there a chance this site or message could be a hoax?

            Go to http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/search to see if is a hoax.

§         Are you able to contact the author or organization?

            Look for "Contact Us" or "About Us" link or contact information throughout the site.

§         What documentation/works cited information is provided?

§         Does the information or grammar contain obvious errors?  This may be a sign that it is a poor source of information.

§         Does the information generally agree with what you already know?

§         Google the topic. Review the search results.  Does the information generally agree with what others are saying about it?

§         Read the Disclaimer.  Does it cause you to doubt the accuracy of information?

§         Who sponsored/published the website?  This is extremely important! Click around on the site to find out!

                 - Look for “About Us” link.

             - You may need to truncate the URL (remove each file in the web address until you get to the address & domain. (Example: www.address.domain/file/file/)

               When you erase each file, where does it take you? What can you learn about the site?

               What can you learn from the domain? .com=commercial, .org=organization, .edu=educational, .net=network, .mil=military, .gov=government.

             - Look for signs of personal pages in the URL: "~" and words such as "users" or "member" are generally personal sites. 

                 - Personal sites are generally not acceptable for research.

                 - Beware of free hosting sites such as AOL, geocities, and angelfire for research - they are also personal sites.

                - IF YOU CANNOT FIND THIS INFORMATION, GO TO www.register.com 

                  or http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp and conduct a website registration search.

§        What can you learn about the site from the publisher sponsor?  Be on the look out for bias and opinion (see Objectivity)

§         Who is the author (if listed)?   This information should be posted by the online article either at the beginning or the end.

                 This information may also be found in the "About Us" link.

                 - Look for signs of personal pages in the URL: "~" and words such as "users" or "member" are generally personal sites. 

                   You should be able to find the name of the person who created the site.

§         What credentials or qualifications are listed for the sponsor, publisher or author?

             - Google author or organization.  Are they qualified to write this information?

§         Do other reliable websites link to this website?

    - Use a Google link search – Type “link:” and copy the web site URL to see what other sites link to this page. 

             - Are there respectable websites linking to this site? How many other website publishers believe this website has value?§        

§         Google the website name.  What are other websites saying about it?

§        YOU NEED TO READ THE ARTICLE AND REVIEW THE SITE TO SEE IF IT IS OBJECTIVE

§        Think about the purpose of the site again - sell, inform, persuade, entertain, mislead. 

               - Is there a chance the site is not factual and/or objective based on it's purpose?

               - Why was the site created and who was it created for?  Who is the audience?

§         Is the author giving fact or their opinion?

§      How biased is the information on the website?

            - Look for spin and/or bias in text and images

            - Look at the advertising.  Is it related to the topic/sponsor?

§         Where do the links from the website take you? 

            - How objective are other sites linking to this site? 

            - What information/viewpoints do they express?

§        Look for copyright date or last updated date.  (Usually bottom or top of page)  Keep in mind last update may be automatic.

§         Check the date on all pages of the website - each page may have a different date.

§       Is the site up to date?

           - Check for outdated information

           - Check for dead links

           - Do the pictures seem dated (old)?

§         How in-depth is the information on the site?

§         Is the information provided appropriate for your grade level /reading level?

           - Do not use information that you do not understand.

           - If the information is too basic, you should find a more appropriate site for information.

§         Do you think there is a better source for your topic than this website?

           - If there is, you should find it and use it!

Use the links below to visit other great webpages about website evaluation:

Credible Sources Count Online Flash Tutorial from Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University, Canada

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from New Mexico State University Library

Internet Detective: Wise Up to the Web from Intute Virtual Training Suite for UK Universities

The ABC's of Website Evaluation by Kathy Schrock

Evaluating Websites: Criteria and Tools from Olin & Uris Libraries at Cornell University

Evaluating Sources of Information from the OWL at Purdue University

Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask from UC Berkeley Library

Evaluating Information Found on the Internet from The Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University

You will be assigned on of the websites listed below.  Evaluate your website using the evaluation criteria.  When you are finished, try to find a better website/article on the same topic.  Evaluate the new website.

Example: http://www.perryweb.com/Dickens/

1. Martin Luther King Jr.
2. Teen Depression
3. Jane Austen Information
4. Abortion Facts
5. Pet Cloning
6. MAVAV
7. Charlotte Bronte Article
8. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
9. George Bush Article
10. The Civil War
11. History of Democracy

12. Obama Article

13. Another Charles Dickens Website
14. John F. Kennedy
15. Al-Qaida

16. Huffington Post
17. Globalism
18. Alcohol and Teen Drinking
19. Anorexia
20. Zundelsite (Ernst Zundle)
21. Young Blood: Children of War