- Registrar’s Office
It is essential for every good researcher to check sources for accuracy and reliability before publishing or submitting a research paper or project. Many guidelines have been written about evaluating websites. All have the following criteria in common:
- Can you find this information in other places?
- Is the information reliable and free of errors?
- Who is the author or creator?
- Is the author associated with a reputable organization or university?
- Can the author be contacted from the website?
- Is there a list of sources used or recommended by the author?
- Is the URL domain non-commercial?
- Is the information presented without bias?
- Is the information covered well?
- Is the information relevant to your topic?
- Does the page include the date it was created?
- Has the information been updated?
- Is the page easy to search?
- Does the page download quickly?
- Is the information well-organized?
For More Information
- Life Beyond Yahoo: Evaluating Information
- Evaluation Criteria
- Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages
- Bare Bones 101: Evaluating Web Pages