2. Evaluating Internet Resources: Fact Checking

3. AccuracyAuthorityObjectivityCurrencyCoverage Things to Consider …

4. Accuracy of Web Documents Ask yourself:  Who wrote the page and can you contact the author?

5. Ask yourself: Who published the document and is it separate from the "Webmaster?" What are the Authors’ credentials? Authority of Web Documents

6. .com = a commercial organization Ex: www.sony.com.edu = an educational institution Ex: www.gmu.edu.gov = a government organization Ex: www.whitehouse.gov.mil = a military organization Ex: www.navy.mil.org = a non-profit organization Ex: www.redcross.org Check the domain of the document. What institution publishes this document? Au t hority of Web Documents

7. Objectivity of Web Documents Ask yourself:  What goals/objectives does this page meet?  How detailed is the information?  What opinions (if any) are expressed by the author?

8. Currency of Web Documents Ask yourself:  When was it produced?  When was it updated?  How up-to-date are the links (if any)?

9. Coverage of the Web Documents Ask yourself:  Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they complement the document’s theme?  Is the webpage all images or a balance of text and images?  Does the author cite his sources?

10. Putting it all together Accuracy - If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting them and... Authority - If your page lists the author’s credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu,.gov,.org,.net), and...

11. Objectivity - If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and... Currency - If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and... Coverage - If the links are evaluated, the content is balanced, and the source is cited... then...

12. You may have a Web page that could be of value to your research! FROM: Kapoun, Jim. "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for library instruction." C&RL News (July/August 1998): 522-523.