The document provides guidance on evaluating websites for research purposes. It discusses checking the domain name to determine the sponsor's reliability. Key questions to consider include the 5 Ws: who wrote it, what is the purpose/content, when was it created/updated, where did the information come from, and why should it be trusted. Additionally, the appearance and functionality of the site should be examined to ensure it is professional, loads quickly, and is easy to navigate. The example shows a student evaluating two dragonfly websites, determining that the .edu site "Dragonflies of Kentucky" would be best for a research project due to more complete information and affiliation with an educational institution.

1. Becky Johnson – Teacher Librarian

2. With over 8 BILLION webpages on
the world wide web, how do you
know which ones to trust?
is easy.
Finding good information takes skill.

3. Domain Name
5 Ws of Website Evaluation
Website Characteristics

4. Check the website DOMAIN name. It
shows who sponsors the site. Some
sponsors are more reliable then others.
As a rule, the most reliable websites
are the ones sponsored by educational
institutions and governments.
Common domain names are:
edu - educational institutions
gov - government
org - usually non-profit organizations, but not always
net - organizations involved in Internet services
com - commercial organizations

5. WHO
Who wrote the pages and are they an expert?
Is a biography of the author included?
How can I find out more about the author?
WHAT
What does the author say is the purpose of the site?
What else might the author have in mind for the site?
What makes the site easy to use?
What information is included and does this information differ
from other sites?
WHEN
When was the site created?
When was the site last updated?
WHERE
Where does the information come from?
Where can I look to find out more about the
sponsor of the site?
WHY
Why is this information useful for my purpose?
Why should I use this information?
Why is this page better than another?
From Kathy Schrock –
5Ws of Website Evaluation

6. Examine the appearance and functionality of
the website. Does it look professional?
Characteristics of a good website:
The site loads quickly.
The information is easy to read.
Web pages have no spelling or
grammar mistakes.
The website is easy to navigate.
All links are active.
If there is advertising, it does not
interfere with the page, e.g. pop-up ads
or noisy video ads.

7. I’m getting ready to start my
research project about
Dragonflies.
Let’s see if I can find a good website.

8. First, I look at my search results and decide
which sites are worth checking.

9. Dragonflies of
Kentucky site looks
pretty impressive.
Lots of site info and
relevant to my
research.

10. Hmmm… Even
though the
information is
relevant, The
Dragonfly Site is
lacking. No
author, no date
and it is affiliated
with an online
store.

11. Dragonflies of Kentucky The Dragonfly Site
Domain Name Domain Name
5 Ws of Website 5 Ws of Website
Evaluation Evaluation
Website Website
Characteristics Characteristics
BEST For RESEARCH NOT For RESEARCH