Evaluating Web Resources

Authority:

• Who is responsible and what makes them an authority on this subject? (Are they accredited or endorsed by a reputable organization? Do they cite their experience/credentials?)
• Does the article contains footnotes? Does material copied from other sources appear to be fully credited?

Scope:

• Who is the intended audience?
• What time period is covered? What geographic area?
• Is there a cultural bias?
• Is this information a subset of a more comprehensive source? If so, who abridged it, and why?

Currency:

• What is the date on the web page? How frequently is it updated?
• Is some of the information obviously out of date?

Accuracy:

• Are the facts that are known to you reliable? Can they be verified?
• Is the coverage objective? If not, is the bias clearly stated?

Commercialism:

• Is the presenter selling something (a product or an idea)?
• Does the page have a corporate sponsor?
• Do you have to enter personal information in order to proceed?