How to Evaluate Websites

Should I Believe It If I Found It on the Internet?

Is this Site?

ACCURATE
How can I trust that this information is factual and accurate?
Anyone can publish anything on the Web
No one checks the Web for accuaracy.

AUTHORITATIVE
Who put up this site?
Who is the sponsor, the expert?
Is this a bona fide organization?

Look at the domain address: what do .edu, .com, .org, .net, .gov mean?
Which ones would you trust? (Hint: .edu is a university site, .gov is a government site, .org is an organization)

OBJECTIVE
Is there advertising on the page?
Does the site show bias?
Is it designed to sway opinion?
Not always easy to determine the goals of the authors or sponsors of a Web site.

CURRENT
When was the page last updated?
How current are the links? Have many of them expired?
Beware of undated sites and expired links.

COVERAGE
What topics are covered?
What is the extent of the coverage?
Is it a serious Web site or simply for amusement?

Below are examples of valuable Web sites:

• http://www.nlm.nih.gov
• http://www.mcw.edu/bioethics/

We recommend that you look at the following links for more ways to evaluate Websites:

• Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
  UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops - Joe Barker
  http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
  

For assistance contact: Phil O'Neill poneill@mail.barry.edu.