Criteria for Evaluating Internet Resources

There
are a number of different criteria that may be used in evaluating web-based
resources. The important ones are listed below. Under each criteria
a number of questions are given. The grater the number of questions answered
“yes” the more likely the source is of high quality. As you
approach any new information resource, ask the following questions. This will
help you to assess the utility of each source for your needs and analyze the
results of your search.

Authority

Ä      Is there an
identified author of the web site or page? (This may be found at the
beginning or the end of a document. If there is no author or institutional
affiliation readily visible, it may be possible to reach the home page from a
“home” link, or by deleting sections of the URL from right to left
up to the first slash (/) to reach the domain section of the URL.)

Ä
Does the author list his or her occupation,
years of experience, position, education, or other credentials?

Ä
Is the author and the author’s affiliation clearly
indicated? Does the author belong to an organization? If the page is
authored by an organization, what additional information about that
organization is available?

Ä
Is there contact information, i.e., an e-mail
address, phone, surface mail available for the author of the document?

Ä
Is there a link to additional information about
the author? A personal homepage? A biography or curriculum vita? Can you verify
this information?

Ä      Is the author
an expert in his/her field? Hint: Look up the author in a biographical
reference source. Sometimes it helps to search the author's name in a
general web search engine like google [http://www.google.com
].Among the reference sources available that list biographical information
about authors and scholars are:

*  American Men &
Women of Science (Doe/Biographies, Biosciences, and some other Reference
sections at Q141.C312). Ask at reference desks about specialized versions for
Economics, Medical, Social & Behavioral, and other disciplines.

*  Contemporary Authors (Doe
Reference CT214.A12.C592 Biographies). Primarily literary and
other writers.

Ä
Has the author written articles or books other
than web pages? Search for the author's name in a web search engine (Google,
Alta-Vista) using " " around the name. For example: "John
Smith".

Ä
Has your instructor mentioned this author? Have
you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies? Other
scholars cite respected authors frequently. For this reason, always note those
names that appear in many different sources.

Ä
Is the source peer-reviewed or edited?
If so, by whom?

Ä      Is this site
sponsored by an organization?

Ä      Is there a
link to a page describing the purpose or goals of the sponsoring body?

Ä      Is there a
statement that the page has the official approval of the sponsoring body?

Ä      Is there a way
of verifying the legitimacy of the sponsoring body? (For personal pages, the
answer is most likely “no”; therefore, personal pages are useful
for opinions but can rarely be used as a source of factual information.)

Ä      Is a phone
number and surface mail address given for the organization, in addition to an
e-mail address? Hint: If you cannot tell if the site is sponsored by an
organization, erase the address from the right to the domain name. This should
display the home page of the organization.

Accuracy

Ä
Do editors check the information?

Ä
Are there clues to tell you that the
information on the page is true?

Ä
Is the information accurate when checked
against other sources?

Ä
Is the information consistent with what
you already know to be true?

Ä
Does the author explain where the
information was obtained?

Ä
Are there any references or
bibliographies listed as sources of information?

Ä
Can the information be verified
elsewhere? Perhaps in a print source?

Ä
Is there evidence of potential bias?
Dose the author provide both sides of the argument with no evidence of bias.

Ä
Does the author have a specific agenda
or point-of-view?

Ä
Is it stated who has the ultimate
responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided?

Ä
Is the information free of grammatical,
spelling, and other typographical errors? (These kinds of errors not only
indicate a lack of quality control, but can also produce inaccuracies in
information.)

Ä
Use additional print sources to
complement and confirm the information?

NOTE: Watch groups
scan the web for mis-information, fraudulent, and
fanatical web sites. Virtual Chase [http://virtualchase.com/quality/alert.html]
maintains an updated list of these groups.

Currency

Ä      How current is
the information?

Ä      Are there
dates on the page to indicate:

o
when the page was
written?

o
when the page was
first placed on the Web?

o
when the page was
last revised?

o
Is
the original copyright date posted?

o
If the
site or page provides time sensitive information, is the frequency of updates
posted?

Ä      Is the page
revised regularly or is it a static resource? Are dates of update stated, and
do these correspond to the information in the resource? Does the organization
or person hosting the resource appear to have a commitment to ongoing
maintenance and stability of the resource?

Ä      If the page
was revised, were the changes substantive?

Ä      Are all links
active or are there any dead links on
the page? How up-to-date are the links on the site?

Ä
Does the site or page aim to provide current
information or is it primarily for historical
purposes?

Ä
Are there any other indications that the
material is kept current?

1.NOTE: Determine the currency of the web page. It is usually
at the bottom of the page, or you may have to peel back the URL to the home
page to find the date. Be suspicious of web sites that do not have a
publication or revision date. Always note and cite the date you visited the web
page. You may have to prove the validity of your data from another source if
your page disappears.

2.NOTE: Browsers may allow you to view the date of creation and
modification of a file (in Netscape View Document Info). Remember that this may not be the date that the actual
information was created or reviewed.

Coverage

Ä      Determine the
coverage of the web site.

Ä      Does the site
cover the subject adequately? Does the page provide information relevant to
your needs? How can you use this information?

Ä      What is the
purpose of the page? Is the scope clearly stated?

Ä      Is it clear
what topics the page intends to address, and does the page succeed in
addressing them?

Ä      To what depth
does this page purport to delve into the topic? Does it claim to be what it is
not?

Ä      If there is a
print version of the Web page, is it clear whether the Web version is equally
extensive?

Ä       Is there an indication that the page has
been completed, and is not still under construction?

Ä      Are there
inexplicable omissions?

Ä      Is the page a
complete document or an abstract/summary?

Ä      Who is the
audience for the page? Experts or novices?

Ä      Is this the
kind and level of information you need?

Ä      What time
period is covered?

Ä       Are there good links to additional
coverage?

Ä      Is the
information free or is there a fee to access more detailed data?

Ä      Is the
material primary or secondary in nature? Primary sources are the raw material
of the research process. Secondary sources are based on primary sources.

Objectivity

Ä
Is the purpose of the site clearly stated?

Ä
Is the site based on verifiable facts or
opinions? Hint: Look for bibliographies and references to traditional
publications.

Ä
Does the site have a bias? Hint: If the site
deals with a controversial topic, look for an identification of the author's
bias.

Ä
Are there fallacies in arguments and reasoning?
Hint: Look for distorted data, information presented out-of-context,
unstated assumptions, bandwagon persuasion techniques and other logical fallacies.
Because of the capabilities of hypertext it is easy to jump into a site at any
point; this can lead to unintentionally viewing information out of context. Go
back to the top of the page and read the purpose of the information. Become
familiar with the surrounding text.

Ä
Are inflammatory words or provocative language,
phrases or profanity used in the site? Does the author make use of emotional
appeals instead of logical arguments as a means to sway the opinion of the
audience? Hint: Look for personal attacks, ridicule and the use of emotional
appeals rather than rational ones.

Ä      Is there a
commercial or organizational interest associated with the site? Hint: Be
aware that organizations, businesses, and individuals represent their own
viewpoints in information presented through their web sites. Organizations with
a particular mission (i.e. environmental organizations) may publish only
information that supports their point of view. Businesses may publish positive
reviews of their own products and events. Also, be aware that a personal web
site may reflect strong political, religious, or social opinions of that
individual.

Ä      Are there
advertisements on the page? Is the page actually an ad disguised as
information? Hint: Sometimes this is obvious; other times it may be very
subtle. Look at the source of the site.

Ä      Is sponsorship
acknowledged?

Ä      Is the
information provided as a public service?

Ä      Are editorials
and opinions clearly identified?

Ä
Are the sources of information clearly stated
(whether original or borrowed from else where)

Ease
of Use

Ä      Determine the
style and functionality of the web site.

Ä      Is the site
laid out clearly and logically with well-organized subsections?

Ä      Is the writing
style appropriate for the intended audience?

Ä      Is the site
easy to navigate, including clearly labeled Back, Home, Go To Top icons/links
and internal indexing links on lengthy pages.

Ä      Dose the site
loads quickly and is readily accessible.

Ä      Dose the
graphics and art serve a function.

Ä      Dose all links
to remote sites work.

Ä      Is writing style
appropriate for the intended audience?

Ä      Dose the text
follow basic rules of grammar, spelling and literary composition.

Purpose

Check the
author and type of site for possible bias, then ask:

Ä
What is the purpose of the document? To
explain? To inform? To persuade? To encourage? To entertain?  Or to buy something? Why was this page
written and for whom? Remember, the web can be a "soapbox" for
organizations or people.

Ä      Who is the
intended audience? Students? Professionals? Lay people Businesses?

Ä      What does it
contribute to the literature in the field?

Ä      What is the
overall value of the content compared to the range of resources on the topic?

Ä      Are
stereotypes or ethnocentric arguments used?

Ä      Are
fallacious, misleading or deceptive arguments used?

Ä      Are there
links to information sources with other viewpoints?

Ä      Is the page a
satire, parody or spoof?

Ä      Is there
advertising on the page? If there is advertising, can it be differentiated from
the informational content?

Design
& Navigation

Ä      Is the page
easy to read? Does the background interfere with the page's content? Is the
color "easy on the eyes"?

Ä      Is the
material presented in an orderly format?

Ä      Do the
graphics and images add to the presentation of the page?

Ä      Are links
appropriate to the topic of the page? Do they work?

Ä      Is there a
link at the bottom of the page to go back to the top of the page?

Ä      Is there a
link on each supporting page to go back to the main page?

Ä      Is there a
comment link at the bottom of the main page?

Ä      Do you need
special software to view the information? Is there a fee to obtain the
information? If you don't have the software, how much information are you
missing?