Are These Resources To Assist Me?

UCF Electronic Library

Support Services

Checklist for Website Evaluation

Author

_____	Is an author and or publisher listed?
_____	Is the author a known expert in the area?
_____	Was the page linked to another page that you are familiar with?
_____	Does the Web site give author information, including the author’s institutional affiliation, position, and address?
_____	Is an e-mail address included to contact the author?

Authority or Publishing Body

_____	Is there an organization that has taken credit for the site?
_____	What is the origin of the site? Examine the extension of the URL (.edu, .ca, .gov, .com, .net, etc.)?
_____	Does the author/publisher of the site have a natural bias (religious affiliation, political party, industry lobby, etc.)?

Currency

_____	Can you tell when the site was created?
_____	Has it been updated since its creation?
_____	How up-to-date are the links?

Objectivity

_____	Are sources documented in a bibliography and/or connected by hyperlinks?
_____	If the page is a research document, is there an explanation of the data, and of the methods used to gather and interpret it?
_____	Are editorial comments presented as such?
_____	Are opposing viewpoints acknowledged respectfully?

Layout

_____	Is the site user friendly?
_____	Is the information presented in a logical, ordered manner?
_____	Is there a clear site map or hypermedia index?
_____	Do graphics and hypermedia add to or detract from the quality of the site?
_____	Is using the site a pleasant experience?
_____	Are clear instructions provided for using different features of the site? (downloading specific software to view features)

To score:

YES answer = 1, NO answer= 0. There are 21 possible points total.

Score	Website rating
17-21	Excellent
12-16	Good
7-11	Fair
1-6	Poor