Anyone can (and probably will) put anything up on the Internet. The Web often functions as a “virtual soapbox” with individuals or organizations presenting only their unsubstantiated views. It is up to you to separate the good information from the bad.
Ask the following to evaluate a web site:
Purpose
What is the purpose of the Web site?
Is the information presented objectively with a minimum of bias? Does the material inform? Explain? Persuade? To what extent is the information trying to sway the opinion of the audience? What tone, vocabulary and writing style is used? Is there sufficient evidence to support conclusions? Is the information directed at a specific audience? Is the information verifiable?
Author
Who is the author?
Is she/he qualified to write this information? What is the author’s occupation, education, and experience? What organization or institution is the author associated with? Can you verify the author’s credentials using a source other than the author’s own Web site?
The Clermont College Library's webpage hs a link to "Electronic Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, etc., which contains a collection of biographical information that may be useful, such as:
Current Biography Yearbook
American Men & Women of Science
Biography Index
Who's Who in America
Supporting Organization
What type of organization supports the Web site?
What institution (company, government, university, association or organization, etc.) or Internet provider supports the Web site? If it is a commercial Internet provider, does the author appear to have any affiliation with a larger organization? If it is an association or organization, can you find a description of it in Associations Unlimited (available through Indexes and Databases)? What is the scope or purpose of this association?
Web site Addresses (URLs) can usually be analyzed to find clues for the type of sponsoring organization. The basic structure of a URL can be explained as follows:
An example of a URL is: http://www.yahoo.com. In this example, ‘www’ is the name of the computer, ‘yahoo’ is the name of the organization (or company), and the domain is indicated as a commercial site with ‘.com’. It is very important to analyze the URLs of Web sites you are using. Domains can give clues to the nature of that Web site. Domains used for both URLs and e-mail addresses include:
.edu (educational institution)
.com (commercial site)
.org (non-profit site, such as the American Red Cross)
.gov (government site)
.net (network, or Internet Service Provider)
.mil (military installation)
Be careful, some organizations purchase inaccurate domains to mislead.
Accuracy
Is the information accurate?
Can you verify the information through other sources? Is the information on the Web site meaningful? Is the information well researched? Do they cite the source of their information?
Currency
Is the information current?
Dates are not always included on Web pages, but finding the most current information might be important to you. If dates are included, they might have various meanings: the date the information was first written, the date the information was placed on the Web, or the date of the last revision of the Web page
Coverage
Is the coverage in-depth?
Are the topics included in the Web page covered in-depth? No one source is comprehensive. You should consult a variety of sources, both print and electronic, to gather in-depth information on your topic.
Remember many things on the Web are not reviewed or ‘filtered’ by experts. Articles appearing in scholarly journals undergo a peer review process where other experts in the field review the submitted information before it is published; this is not the case for most information appearing on the Web.
You are responsible for checking the accuracy of the information, the credibility of the author, and the objectivity and currency of Web sites that you use for your research.
