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The web contains a wide range of resources, from the most expert and scholarly to high school projects, from the most comprehensive to extremely biased, etc. Be sure to evaluate the information you find before accepting it as a source.
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| Criteria |
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| Authority |
Who is the author or creator?
- Who is supplying the information?
- an educational institution
(i.e., .edu domain)?
- a government agency (i.e.,
.gov)?
- a commercial supplier (i.e.,
.com)?
- a non-profit organization
(i.e., .org)?
- Is there an author or contact person named? What
are the author’s credentials?
- Has this site been reviewed by experts or professional
organizations?
- Is the site selling something?
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| Validity/Accuracy |
Is the information accurate or valid?
- Are sources of information cited?
- Compared to other sources, is the information complete
and accurate? Are the links also complete and accurate,
or are there discrepancies?
- Is selection criteria provided for the links found
in the web site?
- Does the site appear to be carefully edited, or
are there typographical errors?
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| Currency |
When was the web site last updated?
- Does the paper/assignment require the most current
information, historical information, or information
over a period of time?
- When was the web site published or created?
- When was the site last updated or revised?
- Are the links up to date?
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| Audience |
For whom was the web site created?
- Is the site appropriate for your needs, or is it too technical, or elementary, or too full of jargon?
- Who is the intended audience? Experts or the general public?
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| Point of view
(bias) |
What is the web site’s point of view?
- Are various points of view, theories, techniques, or schools of thought offered?
- Does the information appear to be filtered or is it free from bias?
- Could the organization sponsoring the site possibly have a stake in how the information is presented?
- Is the site free of advertisements?
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| Comparison to other sources |
Are better sources than web sites available?
- Consider completeness, range of perspective, supplementary data such as statistics,
surveys, overviews, historical vs. current materials, etc.
- Have you looked at library resources?
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© 2002-2005 University Libraries,
The Pennsylvania State University
About This tutorial
Please direct questions to Instructional Programs
Last updated 11/09/07 |
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