Evaluate Websites

Not all information on the Web is of high quality. It is important to evaluate your Web sources to ensure your information is worthwhile. Hoaxes can happen on the Web, so be cautious with pages that you can not verify elsewhere.

How do you do this? Check the following:

Source		Who is responsible for the Web site? What organization is hosting your page? Is this source reliable?

Purpose		What is the purpose of your source? Is it to inform or to persuade?

Author		Can an author be identified? If so, are the author's background and education made available?

Currency		Is the information current? When was the last time the Web page was updated?

Depth		Is the information thorough, or is it of marginal use?

Accuracy		Is the information accurate? Can it be verified through another source?

Practice with these examples.

Want to know more about doing research?

Ask a librarian!

Glossary of Library Terms