- Accuracy
- How reliable and free from error is the information?
- Are there editors and fact checkers?
- Authority
- What are the author's qualifications for writing on the subject?
- How reputable is the publisher?
- Objectivity
- Is the information free from bias?
- Is the author openly trying to sway opinion, or to advocate for a position?
- Currency
- Is the content of the work up-to-date?
- Is the publication date clearly noted?
- Coverage
- Is a range of topics included in the work?
- Are the topics explored in any depth?
- Lack of Filtering
- The majority of Web documents are not subjected to any kind of selection process.
- The filtering that does exist may often be highly subjective.
- Lack of Editorial Oversight
- The majority of Web documents are mounted independently, without benefit of editorial oversight or fact-checking (web-based information may or may not be accurate).
- Ambiguous Authority
- Anyone can publish on the web.
- Responsibility for authorship is not always apparent.
- Author's qualifications for writing on a subject are often absent.
- Lack of Objectivity
- There are many types of Web documents (news, marketing, government, educational, personal, etc.) and they all look largely alike, but there are varying standards for objectivity.
- Many Web documents blend fact, opinion, entertainment and advertising into a seamless whole.
- Currency
- Dates are not always included on Web documents.
- When included, dates may be ambiguous (e.g., date of creation vs. date of last update).
- Inconsistency and Instability of Web Resources
- Not all Web documents are of equal quality (each must be evaluated independently)
- Web documents can be altered without notice
- Web documents can disappear and be unavailable for later review
- General Information to Consider
- What is the document's URL?
- What is the document's domain? (For example: .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, .org)
- Who is the author of the document?
- What "type" of document is it?
- Purpose
- Who is the intended audience for this document?
- What does the purpose of the document seem to be (e.g., inform, persuade, entertain)?
- How can you tell (on what basis did you come to the above conclusions)?
- Authority
- Does the author list his or her credentials for writing on the topic?
- Is there a link from the document to a "parent institution" that might suggest some measure of oversight over the content?
- Is there a non-web version of the material that might allow you to verify its legitimacy?
- Accuracy
- Does the document include a list of sources consulted which you might use to verify accuracy?
- Is it clear who has ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of the document's content?
- Objectivity
- Is there a statement or other evidence to suggest that the document has the official approval of a sponsoring institution?
- Does the author's affiliation with this institution suggest any possible bias?
Other Guides to Web Evaluation
Suggestions for Further Reading:
Criteria for Evaluating Internet Resources (www.library.ubc.ca/home/evaluating/)
Critical Evaluation of Information Sources (http://louisville.edu/infoliteracy/criticalevaluation.htm)
Evaluating Web Pages (www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/evaluating_web.htm)
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask (www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html)
Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages (www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html)
Use search engines linked on the Internet
Search Tools page to identify additional Web resources.
For further assistance, please contact the
Miller Nichols Library Reference Desk at (816) 235-1534.
MERLIN Catalog