Evaluation

Evaluation

• 1.
  Website Evaluation
• 2.
  Evaluation Criteria AuthorityAccuracy Objectivity User-friendliness Currency
• 3.
  Authority Is thisperson or organization an expert on this topic? How do I know I can believe what they are saying?
• 4.
  How to check:Authority Check the credentials of authors, editors, and or contributors to the site. Are they listed? Do they match the subject area? Check that the copyright information is shown clearly. Check that the site lists the resources that were used in its creation.
• 5.
  Accuracy Is thisinformation correct?
• 6.
  How to check:Accuracy Is the site edited well…spelling, grammar, etc. Are the links working correctly and are they linked to other reliable sites? (If they are not careful with these elements, how can we trust that they are careful with their facts?) Reminder: The best way to check accuracy of facts is to check multiple sources to make sure they are all saying the same thing.
• 7.
  Objectivity Does thissource offer all sides of the topic or is there a bias in the presentation of information? It is extremely important to recognize any bias the website may have so you can weigh that into your consideration of their report of the information.
• 8.
  How to check:Objectivity What is the purpose of the site? Are there many advertisements on the page? Who funds the operation of the site? What is the URL? .gov and .edu are government and educational sites, so the information on these sites is typically very good. .com and .org are used by commercial sites and organizations. Information on these sites may be useful, but be very careful of looking for bias, authority, and accuracy on these sites.
• 9.
  User-friendliness Is thissite easy to use? Can I find the information quickly? Is the website visually pleasing?
• 10.
  How to check:User-friendliness How many ways can you search? Do your results match your search? How many steps must you go through to get to the information? Are the directions and content easily understood? Do the format, design, and layout complement your use of the site?
• 11.
  Currency Is theinformation up-to-date and correct?
• 12.
  How to check:Currency What is the copyright date? How recently was the site updated? How well do the links to other sites work?