 Evaluating
Web Sites
Web browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer simply
retrieve and display Web sites, and search engines simply list Web sites
containing terms that you designate. They do not evaluate the accuracy
or value of the Web sites, and there are sites that contain inaccurate,
out-of-date, and even false information. You are responsible
for determining the usefulness of a Web site. The following guidelines
will help you evaluate a Web site.
Types of Web Information | Criteria
for Evaluating Web Sites
Types
of Web Information
There are many different types of information available on the Web,
but most Web pages can be categorized into one (or more) of five basic
types:
- Business/Marketing
Business or marketing pages are usually published by companies or other
commercial enterprises. Their primary purpose is to promote the company
or to sell products. Business and marketing pages often include a mixture
of information, entertainment, and propaganda. Examples include: Microsoft
and Amazon. For U.S. based sites,
the URL or Web address usually ends in .com.
- News & Current Events
News and current events pages provide extremely up-to-date information,
and include newscenters, newspapers, and other periodicals. Examples
include: CNN and The
New York Times.
- Informational
Informational pages provide factual information on a particular topic.
These are often provided by government (.gov) or educational
institutions (.edu) and may include reference materials, research
reports, databases, calendars of events, statistics, etc. Examples include:
the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S.
Code, and Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Advocacy
Advocacy pages are usually published by an organization with the purpose
of influencing public opinion. The URL often ends in .org. Examples:
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Action League, and National Right
to Life Committee.
- Personal
Personal pages are published by individuals who may or may not be part
of a larger group or organizations. They may include almost any type
of information including biographical data, information on work, hobbies,
etc. Examples include individual or family home pages, individual faculty
or students at a university, and member pages from an Internet Service
Provider. For U.S. based sites, the URL often includes a tilde (~).
Criteria
for Evaluating Web Sites
Many of the same criteria for judging library databases and resources
can also be used for Web sites. Relevancy has been important in judging
other kinds of information sources, and the relevance of Web sites accessed
is also important when searching the Internet.
- Authority
Who is sponsoring the site? Check who is responsible for the
page and what their qualifications and associations are. Check to
see if you can verify this. Authors and creators of Web sites should
be clearly stated within the sites and means for contacting them and/or
the Webmaster should be included. Any commercial or organizational
affiliations should also be included. What are the goals and/or values
of the person/organization?
- Accuracy
Try to determine what the sources for the information at the site are.
Are the facts verifiable? Are the sources of information cited, and
are individual articles signed and attributed?
- Objectivity
/Bias
Look for the presence of bias. Consider the impact of any stated affiliations
on the possible attitudes about the topic. What is the purpose of the
site? Consider the different types of Web pages listed above, and determine
whether the page is trying to entertain, inform, persuade or advertise.
- Currency
How old is the information?. Is the date of the last revision posted
anywhere on the page? What is the date of the last revision?
- Coverage
Determine the scope of the site and what it focuses on. Consider what
kind of information it contains and whether this meets your needs.
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