The World Wide Web provides access to a wide variety of information. Almost anyone can create a Homepage and that creates a huge problem for serious researchers. While you may become very good at searching the Web and finding information, knowing how to judge the quality of the sources you find is far more important.
Most print resources such as books, magazines, and newspapers are edited or reviewed independently before publication. Most information on the Web is not reviewed. Therefore, it is up to you to evaluate the information you find on the Web. You will need to judge a website based on your knowledge of the subject. If you cannot determine the quality of a particular source, you may need to consult other resources such as books, magazines and encyclopedias, or consult a subject specialist or librarian to find out more about the topic.
When viewing a webpage, follow the five traditional points in evaluating print resources:
ACCURACY
How reliable is the information? Check to see who is distributing the page.
Usually located in the header (http://...etc.) or in the body of the Homepage, is this information from an educational institution (.edu), a company (.com), or an organization (.org)?
Is the information verified or reviewed by anyone?
Is the information free from error?
AUTHORITY
Who is the author?
What are his/her qualifications to write on this subject?
If the author is an institution, what is its' credibility in this area?
OBJECTIVITY
What is the purpose of the information?
Is it meant to inform?
Is it biased or objective?
CURRENCY
When was the page created?
Has it been revised lately?
Is the information up to date?
(Usually you can check the date of creation and/or revision on the bottom of the page.)
COVERAGE
Does the site contain original information or does it act as a pointer to other sites?
Who is the intended audience?
Does the page seem to meet the needs of the intended audience?
Various sites on the Web monitor other sites for the criteria listed above. To find a site that has been reviewed check out The Scout Report. Several of the search services such as Yahoo also review various sites.
To learn more about how to search the Web successfully, consult the following website tutorial published by the University of California at Berkeley.
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Updated 1/13/98