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Website Evaluation

Take your websites APART (Authority, Purpose, Accuracy, Relevance, Timeliness).  Here are the key criteria to consider when evaluating a website:

Authority
  • Anyone can publish online, so it is important to recognize who is putting the information online.
  • Is it easy to find out who is responsible for this information?
  • Is the responsible party a reliable source?
  • Does the responsible party have qualifications that would make him/her an expert in the field?
  • Is the website on a domain such as an .edu site (which would be an educational institution)?
Purpose/Objectivity
  • Is the purpose of the site clear? 
  • Who is the intended audience?
  • Is there a bias in these documents? Often, biased information can appear to be factual instead of an opinion, so you must read carefully.
  • Are sponsors easy to see and do they have a stake in the information? (for example: an herbal supplement manufacturer sponsoring a site providing health information that would lead you to buy the supplements is biased)
Accuracy
  • Is the information on the website researched and documented? 
  • Does the author use sources that are reliable and legitimate?
Relevance of information
  • Does the information help you answer your research questions?
  • Is it written at an appropriate level for your needs (not too basic or too advanced)?

Timeliness
  • Is the website current? 
  • Is it updated regularly?
  • Do the links work?
  • The kind of information you seek helps determine the importance of the website's currency.

Some websites that can provide assistance in evaluating websites:
Rutgers Riot: Section 5 of this interactive tutorial gives you practice in evaluating sources (general and/or web).
easyWhois:  This site gives you information about who owns a website.  Useful if you suspect that there may be a bias. 

This Web Evaluation Guide might help you:
websiteevaluationguide.pdf
File Size: 37 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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last updated September 19, 2018