Thinking
Critically About World Wide Web Resources
As
more people gain access to information on the Web
and more content is continuously added, it is important
to know how to evaluate Web sites to determine if
the information is reliable. Most Web content is
posted without any form of review for accuracy or
reliability, so it is up to you to make sure that
the information you find is credible. Some embarrassing
mistakes
have occurred when authors neglected to apply scrutiny
to online information. Keep in mind: some Web pages
are designed for misinformation,
marketing tools,
or subversive
reasons, while others are meant to entertain.
They may offer news,
or may be for personal
enjoyment.
The following tips and Web pages serve as a guide
to evaluating information on the Web.*
To evaluate a Web page you'll need to look at the
header, footer, main body, URL,
and domain to search for clues which will help
you determine the accuracy, authority, coverage,
currency and objectivity of that page.
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Accuracy | Authority
| Coverage | Currency
| Objectivity ||
*Note:
These links are provided as a resource to assist
in teaching. Bell Library does not have responsibility
for the content of the material found on the linked
pages. Users should be aware of the possibility
of encountering potentially offensive material
at some sites.
Accuracy
How accurate is the information provided when
checked against other sources or Web sites?
Is the Web page free of spelling or grammatical
errors?
Are there footnotes, a bibliography, a works cited
page, or links to sources?
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| Authority | Coverage
| Currency | Objectivity
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Authority
Who
is the author, publisher, or producer of the Web
page?
Is it clear who is sponsoring the page?
Can you contact the author, publisher, or producer?
What are the person's or organization's qualifications
on the subject covered by the page (credibility)?
Look at the header or footer for information showing
affiliation.
Look closely at the URL
and domain for clues.
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| Accuracy |Currency
| Coverage | Objectivity
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Coverage
Is
the site in-depth or a brief summary on the subject?
What does this page offer that is not found elsewhere?
What topics does this site cover?
Are there any inexplicable omissions?
Keep
in Mind...
- Web
coverage often differs from print coverage.
- It's
often difficult to determine the extent of
Web page coverage.
- Sometimes
Web information is posted for amusement or
subversive reasons.
Links
to Discuss Coverage:
Highway
Safety Facts
Kikkomaso
Supreme
Court Collection
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| Accuracy | Authority
| Currency | Objectivity
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Currency
When
was the page created or last updated? (The footer
often gives these dates)
Is the information listed out-of-date?
If there are links, have they expired or moved?
Keep
in Mind...
- Dead
links may be a sign of "stale" information.
- Publication
or revision dates are not always included
in Web pages.
- If
a date is provided, it may have various meanings:
- It
may indicate when the material was first
written.
- It
may indicate when the material was first
placed on the Web.
- It
may indicate when the material was last
revised.
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| Accuracy | Authority
| Coverage | Objectivity
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Objectivity
What
goals or objectives does this page meet?
Is the page free of advertising?
Is the site intended to inform or teach, or to
persuade or sell you on something?
Does it cover multiple sides of a topic, or does
it promote only one viewpoint?
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Top | Accuracy
| Authority | Coverage
| Currency ||
We invite questions and/or comments and look forward to
hearing from you. Contact Edward Kownslar at Edward.Kownslar@tamucc.edu.
