Website Evaluation

Just ‘cause you found it on the internet

doesn’t mean it is any good!

Before you use a website, look it over

and consider the following four areas

and the questions they raise.

Authority: Who owns this site? Who is the author? Is it sponsored by an organization you know?

• Checking out the URL (address) can help you understand ownership and intent:

               .com is a commercial (for profit) site
               .org is non-profit or non-commercial
               .edu is an educational site - US public schools also include K12 in the address
               .gov indicates a US government site
               .mil is the US military
               .jp .ca .au or .uk indicate a site in a foreign country

• Is the site published on Geocities, Angelfire or other free site?
• Is the author or organization that created or owns the website clearly stated?
• Can you contact them by email, snail mail and/or a telephone number listed on the site?
• Is the author an expert or an authority on the subject? Does he/she cite their sources?

Accuracy: Does this site inspire confidence? Do you trust the info?

• Is the information on the site factual and relevant?

• Are facts backed up by sources?

• Are there spelling or grammatical errors?
   Is there excess profanity, slang or jargon?
• Is the site logical and easy to use? Does it load quickly and completely?
• Are there too many unnecessary graphics or sound files cluttering the screen?

Currency: Is the information on the site outdated?

• When was the site last updated?
• Are the sources cited current or dated?
• Do the links work? Dead links indicate out of date connections or references.

Objectivity: Does this site have a bias? What is the purpose of the site?

• Is the purpose of the site clearly stated? Entertainment? Sales? Education? Persuasion?
• Is affiliation with any organization, political party or special interest group clearly stated?
• Are there ads? Shopping carts? or other attempts to sell something? 
• Does the site contain gender, racial, religious or other bias? 
• Is the site intended to be ironic, satirical or a spoof?