HOW TO JUDGE A WEBSITE BY ITS

COVER!By Mrs. Rannow

http://www.liveoutloudproductionstudio.com/webdesignimages/website-evaluation.jpg

How can you tell if a website is good?

You should be checking 5 things to determine if a website will be valuable to your research:

Point of View

Relevance

Accuracy

Authority

Currency

Currency

On a Bad Page: The page was not produced recently. The page was not updated recently. The links are not current. Many links are dead.The information on the page is outdated.

On a Good Page: It was produced recently.

It was updated recently.

The links are current.There are few or no dead links.The information on the page is up-to-date.

Authority

On a Good Page: On a Bad Page: The webmaster is the only name listed, if any are listed at all. The site is not hosted by a reputable group. The site is not sponsored by a known group or organization. The source is unreliable. If there is an author, no credentials are listed.

The author is separate from the webmaster.The site is hosted by a reputable group (.gov, .edu)The site is sponsored by a recognized group or organization.The source of the information is reliable.The site has received awards.

Accuracy

On a Good Page: On a Bad Page: You can’t figure out who wrote the information. The information is not accurate. The document was written to inflame or incite. The person writing the document does not have expertise in the field. If there is an author, there is no way to contact them.

You can find the author.

The information is accurate.The document was written for informational purposes.The author is qualified to write about the topic.There is a way to contact the author.

RelevanceOn a Good Page: On a Bad Page:

The title does not represent the contents. The links do not match the content of the page. There are more images than text. The information is not cited. The information is not accurate and/or does not match your purpose.

The title of the page clearly represents the contents.The links make sense on the page.There is a balance between the text and the images.There is a bibliography.The page contains accurate information that is useful for your purpose.

Point of ViewOn a Good Page: On a Bad Page:

The information is slanted. You can’t verify the information is factual. Opinions are expressed in an inflammatory way. The site is a mask for advertising. Those that link to the site are not reputable.

The information provides both points of view. You can verify the information elsewhere. If there are opinions expressed, they are expressed in such a way as not to be inflammatory.The site is not a mask for advertising.Other people and organizations who link to the site are reputable.

Pulling It TogetherCurrency: If your page is current and updated regularly and the links are up-to-date and…

Relevance: The title and links make sense on the page, there is a bibliography and accurate information with a balance of pictures and…

Authority: If your page lists the author’s credentials and its domain is a preferred one and…

Accuracy: If your page lists an author who is qualified and who can be contacted and has information that fits your purpose and…

Point of View: If your page provides unbiased information with limited advertising and it presents both points of view then…You may have a web page that could be of value to your

research!

Citation

Kapoun, Jim. "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for library instruction." C&RL News (July/August 1998): 522-523