Prepared by Sarah Brick Archer
EVALUATING WEB PAGESPrepared by Sarah Brick Archer
Evaluting Web Sites/ Links to other Evaluative Sites/Evaluative search engines
The purpose of this web page is to provide an overview to variables involved in critically assessing the information found on the Web.The Internet is not systematically organized. Resources are not evaluated, reviewed, and selected like other library materials. Sites do not always stay on the server, nor are they always free. Because anyone can place a page on the Web, it is important that each page be carefully scrutinized by the reader. Before choosing the Web as a resource, determine which resource would answer the question the best.
Things to look for when scrutinizing a page include the following:
1. Authority: Is the author identified? What are the credentials of the author and/or organizational source of the page? Is it easy to contact the author?
On what server does the page reside? Edu identifies an educational institution which could be a student or faculty member; gov is government and is fairly reliable; org is for organizations, and they have to be carefully scrutinized; com is commercial, are they selling something?
The White House (http://whitehouse.net)
The White House (http://whitehouse.gov)
2. Accuracy: Is the information truthful? Have facts been checked?
3. Objectivity: What is the author's purpose in writing the page? Are biases obvious or are there any hidden agendas?
National Right to Life Committee
(http://www.nrlc.org)4. Coverage: What topics are covered and how thoroughly are they presented? Are there any omissions?
5. Currency: Are there dates listed on the page? Is the information on the page current? When was the page created? When was it last updated?
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(http://humanities.uchicago.edu/forms_unrest/webster.form.html)6. Links: Are the links relevant? Do they work? Were you referred to the page from a reliable source? Is it easy to return to the home page?
7. Composition: Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Are the graphics appropriate? Is the page easy to use? Are graphs clearly labelled?
8. Marketing: On commercial sites, are advertisements separate from the rest of the page?
9. Research content: if research is cited, does the bibliography include non-Internet sources? Are they cited appropriately?
Feline Reactions to Bearded Men
(http://www.improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html)
LINKS TO OTHER SITES EVALUATING WEB PAGES:
Evaluating Web Pages
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/examples.htmJudging Quality on the Web
http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/url/referenc/judging.htm
SEARCH ENGINES/PAGES THAT EVALUATE WEB PAGES:
NSU Library Guides (http://library.nsuok.edu/Resources/Subjects/index.html)
Point (http://www.pointcom.com/)
Prepared by Sarah Brick Archer, Assistant Professor of Library Services, John Vaughan Library, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK on Feb. 2, 1998. February 11, 2004.
For comments or suggestions, contact Sarah Brick Archer
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