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Checklist for Evaluating Web Sites

What?

WHAT is the site about? Does it have the kind of information you need?

  • Look at the browser title bar, document title, content and links.

Who?

WHO created the page/site? Can you find and verify the author's qualification, whether an individual or organization?

  • Look for "About the author/About us" links for author's name and contact information.
  • Verify author's qualifications in another source, e.g., journal, encyclopedia, directory, etc.
  • Look for a link to the home page of the Web site where the document lives.
  • Look at the parts of the URL or address to find organization affiliation.

Where?

WHERE is the information coming from?

Why?

WHY is this site on the Web and how does it affect the information?

  • Look at "About us/Mission/Purpose", links, content and advertising.
  • Determine purpose of the site:
    • Advocacy or "soapbox" (tries to persuade).
    • Informational (often multiple viewpoints and references).
    • Business or marketing (tries to sell).
    • Entertainment.
  • Choose sites whose purposes are compatible with your information needs.

How?

HOW accurate or credible is this page?

  • Examine references and bibliographies.
  • Verify information in another reputable source (e.g., encyclopedia, journal, book, another Web site).
  • If you notice many errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc., question the accuracy of other information.

When?

WHEN was the page or information created? Is the date important for the timeliness of the content?

  • Look for dates. Can you tell what they mean? Publication or copyright date? Last modified or updated? Date any statistics were gathered or published?
  • Note date you accessed the site. You need this to cite the Web site!

For more on evaluating information, see: http://steenbock.library.wisc.edu/instruct/eval.htm
Compiled by: University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Internet Workshop Working Group
The URL of this page is http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/instruction/instmat/webeval.htm
Last updated: July 7, 2005. Contact: Barbara Lazewski

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Please send comments and questions to:
Abigail Loomis
libinstruct@library.wisc.edu
Library & Information Literacy Instruction Program Coordinator
608-262-4308

Last updated July 7, 2005.

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