Evaluating Web Resources

Before a book reaches the library’s reference collection or an article is published in a scholarly journal, the content goes through a lengthy editorial/review process. This is not always so with information found on the web. Consider the following points when choosing an internet source:

Authority

  • Is it clear what person, organization, or institution is sponsoring the site?
  • Are the credentials or qualifications of the individual or organization provided?
  • Is contact information given - including name, email, phone number and address?
  • Can you verify the legitimacy of the sponsor through printed sources?

Objectivity

  • Does the author give his or her purpose for providing the information?
  • Does the author have an agenda or bias? (This may be subtle.)
  • Does the site blend information with advertising?
  • Are editorials or opinion pieces labeled as such?

Accuracy

  • Is the intended audience stated?
  • Can factual content be verified from another source? Are citations given?
  • Does the text follow standard rules of grammar and spelling?

Currency

  • Is there a date of publication or revision? Is it current?
  • Are links up-to-date?

Coverage

  • Is it clear what topics the page plans to address?
  • Does the page succeed at addressing these topics?
  • Has important information been left out?

Compare and Verify

Compare the web site in question to other web sites on the same topic. Do they agree in facts (dates, name spellings, etc.)? What do the majority of your sources say? Verify the information found on the web site with print sources you have found on the topic.

Domain Clues

The Domain name within the website’s Uniform Resource Locator (URL) can provide clues to the reliability or possible bias of a website. The URL can be found in the “Location” box in Netscape Communicator and the “Address” box in Internet Explorer. The most commonly used domains are:

Type
  • Advocacy
  • Business/Marketing
  • News
  • Informational
Purpose
  • influence pubic opinion, sell ideas
  • sell or promote products
  • provide extremely current information
  • present factual information
Domain (often)
  • .org
  • .com
  • .com
  • .edu or .gov

Know the difference between information found through databases and the general web:

Databases are platforms, found on the internet, that provide access to electronic versions of materials already available in print, such as journal articles and encyclopedias. Material accessed through databases is not considered the same as material on the general web. However, you should still evaluate the information you find through databases to determine whether it meets your research needs.

For an in-depth look at evaluating internet sources, see:

Barker, Joe. Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask

Citing internet sources:

Most style guides now have a section on how to cite an internet source. For online help, see Style Sheets for Citing Resources
Last modified on: November 14, 2005, at 09:41 AM