This document provides guidance on evaluating websites for research purposes. It outlines five criteria to consider: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage. Authority refers to the credentials of the author/sponsor. Accuracy checks for factual errors or inconsistencies. Objectivity considers the balance/bias of perspectives presented. Currency evaluates how recently the site was updated. Coverage assesses the depth/breadth of information provided. Students are advised to apply these criteria to critically analyze a website's value before using it for research. Considering the criteria together provides a holistic evaluation of a website's reliability and usefulness.

1. Evaluating Web-Sites By Sal Anchondo, Lori Annesi, Pam Czaja and Alice Harrington MCC Libraries

2. The Internet has revolutionized the way college students conduct research. Unlike your predecessors, you have quick and easy access to millions of valuable resources from around the globe. Is all Internet information valuable? Unlike the book and magazine publication processes, there are no editors or fact checkers to prevent an incorrect web-site from being created. Not all of the information you will find on the web will be useful or accurate. This online tutorial will help you analyze web-sites for their value more accurately.

3. Differentiate between these types of web-site addresses: .com .edu .gov .org Apply the following criteria in order to evaluate web-sites: Authority Accuracy Objectivity Currency Coverage By the end of this tutorial you will be able to…

4. Don’t always judge a web-site by its address … An individual or group can create web pages and together they are recognized as a web-site. In order for it to be accessible to others through the Internet, it needs to be stored on a server (host computer). The organization that runs or maintains the host computer determines the type or web address the web-site will eventually have.

5. Don’t always judge a web-site by its address … Examples of some types of host organizations: . com: sponsored by a corporation .edu: sponsored by a college or university .gov: sponsored by a governmental agency (State or Federal) .org: sponsored by a not-for-profit organization The address of a web-site is ultimately not an indicator of the value and accuracy of the information on it. You as a researcher have the responsibility to determine if a web-site’s content is useful for your research project.

6. Applying criteria to evaluate web-sites … To remember evaluation criteria, memorize the following sentence: A ll “ A ”s o n C urrent C lasses A uthority A ccuracy O bjectivity C urrency C overage

7. Applying criteria to evaluate web-sites … Click on the corresponding blue button to learn more Authority – Are the people responsible for the web-site’s content regarded as experts or authorities on that topic? Accuracy – Does the web-site contain misinformation? Objectivity – Does the web-site present an extreme one-sided or balanced perspective? Currency – Is the information on the web-site up-to-date? Coverage – How much information does the web-site provide? No criteria by itself is indicative of a web-site’s value to your needs. You should look at the criteria as a whole.

8. Authority You need to take into account whether the web-site author has credentials in the subject being presented. Questions regarding authority: Who wrote this? Who is the sponsor? An e-mail contact is not enough. Most reliable web-sites have an “about us” link. Click on it and read it. Is the person or organization well-regarded by others? Do their credentials allow them to speak with authority?

9. Authority example: This is the website of the World Health Organization (WHO). If you click on “About WHO” at the very bottom of the page, you will discover that this organization was created in 1948 by the United Nations and its objective is the “a ttainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” WHO is well regarded by others and you will see many references to it if you are researching a topic such as HIV/AIDS on a global scale.

10. Accuracy Authority and accuracy go hand in hand. The more authoritative the creator of a web-site is, the less likely you will find errors and inaccurate information. The responsibility of accuracy falls solely on the shoulders of the web creator. If the web-site is full of errors, there is a high probability that the information provided might also be inaccurate.

11. Questions regarding accuracy: Is the web-site free from spelling and grammatical errors? Is the information that you find on a web-site consistent with what you see in other sources (i.e. books, magazines, journals, other websites, etc.)?

12. Objectivity Remember every issue has more than one side. Objectivity is a criteria that is difficult to measure if you haven’t viewed or investigated other sources or viewpoints. You need to gain perspective on the issue at hand before you can accurately judge objectivity.

13. Questions regarding objectivity: Is the web-site consistent with the information that you’ve been gathering? Does it radically represent one side of the issue or the other? Are opinion and editorial sections clearly labeled?

14. Objectivity example: Public Agenda bills itself as a “ non-partisan research organization helping Americans explore and understand critical issues since 1975”.

15. Currency You can look at currency in two ways when evaluating a web-site. Currency equates to up-to-date information. It also relates to how often the web-site is checked for accuracy. Questions regarding currency: How current is the information on the web-site? When was the web-site last updated? Are the links still active?

16. Coverage How much information is provided compared to other sources (i.e. newspaper and magazine articles) used on the same topic? Is there an indication that the page has been completed and is still not under construction?

17. In conclusion … When you apply these five evaluation criteria, you will discover they overlap. Using them in your analysis will ultimately help make up your mind to use a web-site. On occasion, you will encounter sites that are difficult to analyze. In those instances, do not hesitate to contact a librarian or your instructor. More on web-site evaluation … Evaluating Web Pages – University of California: Berkeley Library Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources – University of Southern Maine Libraries Evaluating Web Pages – Duke University Libraries Evaluating Websites - Purdue University Libraries