Deschutes Public Library

Critical Evaluation of Web Pages


Anyone can publish a web page on any subject. Before using a web page as a source of information, it and the information it provides should be evaluated critically. There are five criteria that you can use to evaluate a web page: Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage.


 
AUTHORITY

Because anyone can publish on the Internet you should first try to determine who constructed the web page. Is the author or sponsoring organization of the web page clearly identified? Are the credentials of the author given which show that he/she is qualified to write on the subject? Is there an address or phone number so that the authorship of the information can be verified? Beware of web pages that sound like they come from an authoritative agency but are really soundalikes for a reputable organization. Look for a link back to the main page of the organization if no author information exists on the page you are looking at.

 
ACCURACY

Print publications are edited and published by reputable companies and associations. The process of editing includes checking facts and ensuring that the printed information is accurate. Because many web pages are self-published and self-edited, inaccurate information is often found. To determine accuracy, compare some of the information with data you have gathered from print sources. A reliable web site may refer to printed sources of information and is often the electronic equivalent of printed material. Look for typographical, grammatical and spelling errors. These errors indicate that only one person has looked at the material before it was made available on the web.

 
OBJECTIVITY

Is there any bias present in the information or any indication that the author is not providing an impartial view but giving an opinion? Why is the information being provided? Is there advertising present on the web page that is related to the information? Companies or individuals may present information on the World Wide Web that is biased in favor of their product. This may in fact be a form of disguised advertising.

 
CURRENCY

Although a web page has been recently added to the World Wide Web, it does not mean that the information is up-to-date. If a date is listed it could be the date when the information was first written, or when the information was made available via the web, or the date that the information was last revised. If a page consists of facts and lists the date that the information was last revised, it is probably reliable. However, you may find that more recent information can be found in recently published journal articles.

 
COVERAGE

What topics are covered? What does this page offer that is not found elsewhere? How in-depth is the material? Works printed on the web are often not as complete as the original. For example, newspapers online are frequently only selections from the complete printed newspaper. Is there an indication that the page is still under development and therefore the information may be incomplete?

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EVALUATING WEB PAGES

Beck, Susan E. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources. Online. New Mexico State University Library. http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html.
24 June 2010.

Evaluate Web Pages. Online. Widener University, Wolfgram Memorial Library.
http://www.widener.edu/libraries/wolfgram/evaluate.
24 June 2010.

Evaluating Information on the Net. Online. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, McIntyre Library.
http://libguides.uwec.edu/content.php?hs=a&pid=43317.
24 June 2010.

Great Web Sites for Kids Selection Criteria. Online. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/greatwebsites/greatwebsitesforkids/greatwebsites.cfm.
24 June 2010.

Internet Detective: Wise Up to the Web. Online. Intute Virtual Training.
http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/.
24 June 2010.

InfoPeople. Evaluating Internet Resources: A checklist. Online. California State Library.
http://www.infopeople.org/resources/select.html.
24 June 2010.