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Evaluating A Web Site in 5 Minutes


1. Authority

  1. Write down who or what organization is responsible for the contents.
  2. Write down the verifiable credentials or other background information provided by the author or organization.
  3. Write down how to contact the person or organization responsible for the site's content.

2. URL

  1. Write down the URL for the web page.  Is it clearly from an reputable educational, governmental institution or organization? (look for.edu, .org and .gov extensions).  

3. Purpose

  1. Is the web site providing high quality content?  How can you tell? Be skeptical.
  2. Does the web site indicate the original source for the information it presents? Give an example.
  3. Does it cite references or footnotes?  Give an example.

4. Accuracy

  1. Can you verify facts or information on this web page in another reputable web page or source? (provide another web page title and URL that verifies the information).
  2. Is the information well written and free of grammatical and spelling errors?

5. Objectivity

  1. How does the site fully cover the issue?  Dig down into the site to document its depth or lack of it.
  2. Does it provide different perspectives on the issue? (particularly important for controversial issues)
  3. Can you detect any bias or misinformation? What are some bias clues to look for?

6. Currency

  1. Is the current situation reflected on the web page?  What is the most recent date listed on the page?
  2. How many dead or "old" links are on the page?
  3. When was the page last revised?
     
Maintained by: Barbara Jenkins, jenkins@uoregon.edu