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Hints and tips for deciding if a web site is suitable for your needs.

Key questions

  • Who is the information provider?
  • Are they a reliable source of this information?
  • Why is the information provided?
  • When was it last updated?

Accuracy

  • Is the information reliable and error free?
  • Is there an editor or someone who checks the information?
  • Are the sources used referenced? Can you follow them back to the original?
  • Why was the web page written?  What was the purpose?
  • Is the information used accurate?  Can you check easily?

Authority

  • Who is the author/producer/publisher?
  • Are there current contact details for the author?
  • Who is the author? Are they recognised in this field as an expert?
  • Is the site sponsored?  If so, by whom?
  • Does the web address help?  Is it .ac.uk or .edu, for example?

Coverage

  • Does the content provide what the title indicates it should?
  • What is offered here that cannot be found elsewhere?
  • How in-depth is the material?
  • Does the content link out to other relevant information?  If so, is this cited?
  • Who is the audience for this content?
  • Which topics are covered?  In how much detail?
  • Does the content apply to a certain time frame?

Currency

  • Is the page dated?  When was it produced?
  • When was it last updated?
  • Are any links in the page still working?
  • Is the information on the page outdated?

Objectivity

  • Is there a bias in the content?
  • Is the content provided from a particular political/ideological viewpoint?
  • Are you being asked to change an opinion?
  • Is there any advertising on the page which indicates sponsorship?
  • Is the page itself an advert?
  • Which opinions, if any, are expressed by the author?
  • Why was the content written?  For whom?

 

Content re-used, with thanks, from UWE library site: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/library/resources/general/internet/eval.htm