Evaluation

Information gathered from search engines, such as Yahoo or Google, may not always be accurate or complete. Assess what you are looking at online.

Who Sponsors the Source?

 Is the sponsor a reputable entity? One way to quickly assess the validity of the sponsor is to notice whether the source is a dot gov, dot com, etc.

.gov  United States and state governments  credible and timely information.
.edu education sites including higher education Web sites for universities in the United Kingdom are designated .ac.
.org organizations. There may be problems determining  reputableness of some sites.  
.com companies and newspapers Such as www.washingtonpost.com.
.net  commercial, network, and other sites They are not always accurate and unbiased.
.mil military Generally sites that are accurate and timely.
 

Evaluating Suggestions

Authority

  • Who is the author?
  • What are his credentials?
  • Does he have sufficient authority to speak on the subject?
  • Is there contact information?
  • Who sponsors the page?
  • Is the page authentic?
  • Are references given?

Objectivity

  • Is there any bias?
  • Does the bias affect its usefulness?

Appropriateness & Relevance

  • Is the content and reading level appropriate?
  • Is it accurate and complete?
  • Is the content relevant to your topic or question?

Currency

  • Is the information up-to-date?
  • When was the page updated?
  • Do the links work?

Responsibility

  • Is the author hiding an agenda?
  • Do the authors cite their sources?

Clarity

  • Is the information clear, well-organized, and easy to read?
  • Are there value added graphics?
  • Does it include advertisements?
  • Are there errors on the page?

Accessibility

  • Is the site easy to access and use?

Authenticity

  • Beware of potential hoaxes. Is the page linked to another site? Beware of potential misinformation.