Evaluating Web Pages

Develop skills to evaluate what you find on the World Wide Web

Because so much information is available on the web, and because that information can appear to be fairly “anonymous”, it is necessary to develop skills to evaluate what you find. Anyone can write a web page. Documents of all quality, written by authors with a range of authority, are available. You may find excellent resources along with the most dubious. The following criteria and questions outline how to assess information found on the World Wide Web.

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1. Title of web page:

What can you tell about this web page from the URL?

2. Authority:

  • Is there an author of the document or web page? If yes, who is the author?
  • Are his/her affiliations and qualifications given?
  • Is contact information provided (address, phone number, email)?
  • Who is the publisher or sponsoring organization for this web page?

3. Accuracy:

  • Do you trust the information given on the web page? Is it reliable and valid?
  • Does the web page document its sources? In other words, does it tell you where the information comes from?
  • How does the information on the web page compare with what you already know?

4. Currency:

  • Does the web page tell you when it was created and last revised?
  • Are there outdated (dead) links?

5. Coverage:

  • What is the depth and breadth of the information on the web page?
  • Does it contain original information or just links to other sources?
  • Does the information have real value?

6. Objectivity:

  • What is the web page's purpose or intent? Why was it created?

    • inform/facts/data
    • explain
    • persuade
    • sell/advertise
    • share/disclose
    • other
  • Is the information biased? Is it designed to sway opinion? From whose perspective is it given?

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Last Updated 3/31/05 djm

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