Web Research Guide Evaluating Websites Mrs. Roesler September 2012

Evaluating Web Sites We have talked about the fact that anyone can publish on the Web. This means that you have to know how to figure out which sites are reliable and trustworthy on your own! What is the best way to do this? 1. Start by using the 5W criteria (Who? What? When? Where? Why?) 2. This will help in evaluating the worthiness of a web site.

Web Evaluation  As you search the internet for information, keep in mind the information meets the needs of your project.  The website should also be a reliable source of information. The following slides will give a few key ideas to remember.

1. Who wrote/published the information on the site? Anyone can publish on the web, it is important that you first identify the source – the author of the website. Ask yourself:  Who is the author/publisher? Is that source clearly identified on the site?  Can I contact the author through , phone number or a mailing address?  What are the author’s credentials? Is he or she an expert in the subject I am researching?  Is the site created or sponsored by a trustworthy organization? If so, can I confirm that the organization is a credible source of information?

2. What information and resources does the site provide? Not all information is fact checked or reviewed for errors. Ask yourself:  Is the site’s purpose to persuade, inform or entertain? Does the site achieve its purpose?  Is the information on the site objective or biased? The site should not just be one person’s opinion but include several viewpoints on the subject.  Does the site provide in-depth coverage on the topic? Does it reference or link to other resources?  Is the information well written? Are there misspellings or grammatical errors?  Does the site provide a Works Cited page or bibliography? Can I verify the resources are reliable and objective?  Does the site feature graphics, video and audio clips, or animations? Do these multimedia elements help explain or clarify the site’s topic?

3. Navigation and Presentation  Is the site well organized and easy to navigate? Can I find the information I am looking for in a few clicks?  Is the site visually appealing?  Are the multimedia elements used in small amounts and for a specific reason? Or are they too distracting?  Does the site have advertisements that might distract me from my purpose for visiting?  Does the site take a long time to load?

4. When was the site created/last updated?  Does the site say when it was first created and last updated?  Do the links work, or do they lead to error messages, such as “Page Not Found”?  Sites not regularly updated often have broken links

5. Where does the site “live”? Look closely at the site’s URL – the three letter suffix, example, The URL extension is.gov. Sometimes, the extension provides clues about the source you are viewing. Some Common Extensions: ExtensionSource.govGovernment agency.eduEducational institution.orgOrganization (usually but not always non-profit.comCommercial business or Personal website.milMilitary

5. Where does the site “live”? .gov extension most likely will provide reliable information but sometimes.edu,.org, and.com can be misleading.  So, use the 5W’s to determine if the site has what you need:  Who? What? When? Why? Where?

6. Why should I use this site?  Do the resources on this site meet my needs? Is the information in-depth and up to date?  Why is this Web site a better research source than some of the other sites I have already visited?

Bibliography  h_guide/page_build.cfm?content=web_e val h_guide/page_build.cfm?content=web_e val  Wayne’s World sound clip, You Tube