Tips and strategies for evaluating web resources.

1. How to check for credibility, accuracy, and
reliability
Evaluating Web resources

2. Definitions:
 Credibility-the quality of being trusted, convincing
and believable
 Reliability-the quality of being dependable
 Accuracy-the quality or state of being precise.

3. Things to check
 When reviewing a website for credibility, reliability,
and accuracy look for the following things:
1. The name of the author with contact
information and a recent date.
Websites without an author you can contact or a
website that is out of date is probably not credible,
reliable or accurate since information can change
rapidly.

4. Things to check
 When reviewing a website for credibility, reliability,
and accuracy look for the following things:
2. The author is associated with an organization
or institution and/or has some other authority in
the field or on the subject.
Information from an author who is an expert in the
field or who is associated with a reputable
organization/institution is probably credible, reliable,
and accurate.

5. Things to check
 When reviewing a website for credibility, reliability,
and accuracy look for the following things:
3. Check for clues that the author of the page is
biased.
If the author is promoting or selling a product it is
possible the author has a biased opinion.

6. Things to check
 When reviewing a website for credibility, reliability,
and accuracy look for the following things:
4. Check for bibliographic information in a
works cited section.
A thorough list of works cited information is a good
clue that the material is credible, reliable, and
accurate.

7. Things to check
 When reviewing a website for credibility, reliability,
and accuracy look for the following things:
5. Can you find similar information on other web
pages?
Conduct a search to see if the same information
can be verified on other sources/web pages.

8. Things to check
 When reviewing a website for credibility, reliability,
and accuracy look for the following things:
6. What kind of web page is it?
Pages that end in .gov, .edu, and .org are usually
good sources. You have to be more careful in
evaluating sites that end in .com or .net.

9. Conclusion
Before blindly accepting whatever you find on
the internet as fact, take the time to review the
information for credibility, reliability, and
accuracy!

10. Bibliography
"Helpful Hints to Help You Evaluate the
Credibility of WebResources." Helpful Hints to Help
You Evaluate the Credibility of WebResources.
N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-
sites.htm>.