Vietnam Yesterday & Today: Evaluating Websites

Help for Students>Evaluating Websites

Evaluating Information on Websites

Not all of the information to be found on the World Wide Web is accurate and not all websites, no matter how attractive, are good. Thus evaluating a website becomes an important activity. When evaluating a website, consider the following questions:

--Who wrote the pages?
--What does the author have to say about the subject?
--Does the author have the authority to present this information?
--Does the author/publishing organization have anything to gain by presenting this information?
--When was the site created and updated?
--Where does the site's information come from?
--Is the information consistent with other published material on the topic?
--Why it the site useful or important?
--Can the information be verified in book, periodical or other sources?

Consider the following criteria:

Purpose
Content
(substance, depth, uniqueness, accuracy, currency)
Authority
(institutional affiliation, developer credentials)
Scope

Audience
Currency
Special Features
Organization/Format
(easily grasped, logical, clearly divided)
Accessibility
(consistent, speedy availability, text-based alternative pages)
Reliability
(Who is the publisher?)
Site Search Engine
(clear instructions on usage, Boolean capabilities,
keyword searching, frequent index updates,
speed, well-formated output)

Fact or Opinion?
In reading nonfiction, it is important to distinguish between fact and opinion. One can easily draw wrong inferences and conclusions if what is accepted as fact is in reality only one person's opinion. To test whether or not a statement is a fact, ask these questions:

Can it be proved or demonstrated to be true?
Can it be observed in practice or operation?
Can it be verified by witnesses, manuscripts, or documents?

This does not mean that opinions should be discounted. On the contrary, sound opinions based upon logic, research and study, and experience are very valuable. However, to be an alert reader, one needs to know where fact ends and opinion begins.

If more information is needed to evaluate a site, consider e-mailing the author of the site for more information. Good web sites will give the name and e-mail address of a contact person somewhere on the site.

For additional information, see:

Evaluating Web Pages (Duke University)
Evaluating Internet Research Sources
Numerous Web articles, listed below the following chart

A very useful table explaining criteria for website evaluation was created by Jim Kapoun, reference and instruction librarian at Southwest State University, and published in College and Research Libraries News. (July/August, 1998):522-523.

Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages
Evaluation of Web Documents	How to Interpret the Basics
1. Accuracy of Web Documents Who wrote the page and can you contact him or her? What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? Is this person qualified to write this document?	Accuracy Make sure author provides e-mail or a contact address/phone number. Know the distinction between author and Webmaster.
2. Authority of Web Documents Who published the document and is it separate from the "Webmaster?" Check the domain of the document, what institution publishes this document? Does the publisher list his or her qualifications?	Authority What credentials are listed for the author(s)? Where is the document published? Check URL domain.
3. Objectivity of Web Documents What goals/objectives does this page meet? How detailed is the information? What opinions (if any) are expressed by the author?	Objectivity Determine if page is a mask for advertising; if so information might be biased. View any Web page as you would an infommercial on television. Ask yourself why was this written and for whom?
4. Currency of Web Documents When was it produced? When was it updated? How up-to-date are the links (if any)?	Currency How many dead links are on the page? Are the links current or updated regularly? Is the information on the page outdated?
5. Coverage of the Web Documents Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they complement the documents theme? Is it all images or a balance of text and images? Is the information presented cited correctly?	Coverage If page requires special software to view the information, how much are you missing if you don’t have the software? Is it free, or is there a fee, to obtain the information? Is there an option for text only, or frames, or a suggested browser for better viewing?
Putting it all together Accuracy. If the page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her, and . . . Authority. If the page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net), and . . . Objectivity. If the page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and . . . Currency. If the page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and . . . Coverage. If information can be viewed properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then . . .

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Web Articles on Evaluation:

Ascertaining Information Quality
Bibliography on Evaluating Internet Resources
Criteria for Evaluation of Internet Information Resources
Critical Evaluation Surveys
Criteria for Evaluating Web Resources
Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites
Critical Evaluation of Resources on the Internet
Critically Analyzing Information Sources
Don't Believe Everything You Read: Ideas for Reading Critically(pdf)
Evaluating Internet Based Information
Evaluating Internet Resources (Illinois State University)
Evaluating Internet Resources (Massachusettes General Hospital)
Evaluating Internet Resources (University of Albany)
Evaluating Internet Resources: A Checklist for Students
Evaluating Internet Resources by Wilfred Drew
Evaluating Internet-based Information: A Goals-based Approach
Evaluating Sources of Information (San Diego State University)
Evaluating Sources
Evaluating Web Information (Virginia Polytechnic Institute)
Evaluating Web Resources (Widener University)
Evaluating Web Pages: Links to Examples of Various Concepts
Evaluating Web Resources (Southern Oregon University)
Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools
Evaluating Web Sites for Educational Uses
Evaluating Web-based Resources: A Practical Perspective
Evaluation of Information Sources (World Wide Web Virtual Library)
Evaluation Rationale with Examples
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Why it's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
Guide for Evaluating a Web Page
Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide!
How to Evaluate a Web Site
How To Evaluate a Web Source
ICYouSee: T is for Thinking
Internet Detective (online tutorial)
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
Lies, Damned Lies, & Web Pages
QUICK: The Quality Information Checklist
Quality of Information and Disinformation Online
Readings & Resources on Web Evaluation
Resource Selection and Information Evaluation
Review of Web Evaluation Sites
Some Examples of Sites That Illustrate Evaluation Issues
Teaching Students to Evaluate Web Sources More Critically
Teaching Undergrads Web Evaluation
Ten C's for Evaluating Internet Resources
Testing the Surf: Criteria for Evaluating Internet Information Resources
Thinking Critically About Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources (Esther Grassian)
Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources (Esther Grassian)
Using Cybersources
Web Page Evaluation Worksheet
The Web--Teaching Zack to Think
Why We Need to Evaluate What We Find on the Internet
WWW CyberGuide Ratings for Content Evaluation

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