Evaluating Websites

The Internet is a valuable resource for students. Being able to access information from home, school, or work is a wonderful convenience. However, not all information found on the Internet is based on factual knowledge. Students must be smart when researching on the web and need to be able to evaluate the following criteria:

Authority – When looking over a website, you need to consider who created it and who is responsible for its maintenance. Another factor to consider is how the author can be contacted, via e-mail, telephone and address. The author’s credibility is the number one concern because not everyone can be an expert on the topic being researched. Make sure that the person giving the information is qualified to do so. One possible way to check this is to confirm the domain of the website: .com, .org, .edu, etc. Determining whether a site is personal or sponsored by a reputable source can give clues to the validity of the information.

Accuracy – If you are reading a web page and numerous words are misspelled and grammar is used ineffectively, then the website is not entirely accurate. Be sure to scan charts or graphs to make sure that statistical data is labeled and easy to read. Also remember to compare the information from the page to information found in other resources. You will need to decide if the purpose of the document was met. For example, a website about space exploration should not have links concerning animal classifications. The information listed should relate to the overall topic of the page.

Objectivity – Web pages are developed for many different purposes. As you research certain topics, you must be aware of bias websites. Some websites have been created to sell something, so be conscious of advertisements. Also, information can be presented in a biased way. When reading the text, keep questioning if the author is providing facts or their opinion of the subject.

Technical aspects – This criterion deals with the technical features of the web page. If the page requires specific software, then you should be able to download the software. (Hopefully, the download is free!) Also, because students have different connection speeds to the Internet, a web page should provide options for text only and suggest browsers for better viewing.

Currency – When accessing information online, you need to consider when the web page was created and how often updates occur. These updates not only need to include reviewing, revising and adding new information but also checking links to make sure they are still working.

When evaluating a website, you can use a checklist like the following:

Checklist for Website Evaluation