Evaluating A Web Site in 5 Minutes
Authority
- Write down who or what organization is responsible for the contents?
- Write down the verifiable credentials or other background information provided by the author or organization.
- Write down how to contact the person or organization responsible for the site.
URL
- Write down the URL for the web page. Is it an educational, governmental, organizational, commercial or personal page?
- Look for.edu and .gov extensions as they are more closely regulated and usually indicate an education institution or a U.S. government site.
Purpose
- Is the web site trying to inform, entertain, advocate, advertise, or persuade?
- Does the web site indicate the sources of the information presented?
Accuracy
- Can you verify facts or information on this web page in another source?
- Is the information well written and free of grammatical and spelling errors?
Objectivity
- Is any advertising on the page? How is it differentiated from the informational content?
- How does the site cover the issue? Is there a minimum of bias?
Currency
- Is the site well maintained with few broken links?
- When was the page last revised?
Maintained by: Barbara Jenkins, jenkins@uoregon.edu