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HOW TO EVALUATE WEB RESOURCES

There is a great deal of excellent information to be found on the Web... but you need to carefully evaluate what you find to ensure it's appropriate for your college research.

Below are a few suggestions to keep in mind when using the Web for research:
  1. Pick the right search tool for the job.
  2. Is the information on topic?
  3. Check credentials (e.g., who's the author or publisher/sponsor).
  4. Be skeptical.
  5. Consider the purpose (e.g., to entertain or educate?)
  6. Look at how well-maintained the site is.

1. First, select the right search tool for the job.   Are you looking for websites, OR do you need magazine or newspaper articles?  If you need magazine or newspaper articles, use one of NOVA's article databases. They will lead you to magazine, newspaper, and journal articles on your topic.  Web search tools such as Google or Yahoo! typically won't get you to those articles (at least, not as easily and usually not for free).

2. On Topic?
Is the information on the site actually related to your topic? Is it detailed enough (or is it too detailed?)?  Check for a list of sources or links to other websites for more sources on your topic.

3. Check Credentials.
Author -- Who's the author?  Look for author information, such as name, contact information, and educational and professional background, at either the top or the bottom of the page. If there’s no author information there, check the site’s home page for a list of staff that might provide more details. And if no information is given about the author, take a really close look at the publisher's credentials.

Publisher of the site -- Find out what you can about the publisher. On the web site’s main/home page, there may be a link that says something like “About us” or “Welcome” or “Who we are.” Look for mission statements, history, contact information, and other organizations the company is associated with. Is this an appropriate, credible source for your topic?


4.  Be Skeptical. 
How do you know if a website is accurate? Compare the information with what you've learned from other sources, including encyclopedias, books, periodical articles, or other websites.  Also, check to see if the website tells you what sources it used, such as books, periodical articles, other websites, or experts.
Objectivity -- Websites may take a particular point of view about a topic, so think about the tone that's used, and also find out what you can ABOUT the author or sponsoring organization and whether or not they have any biases or conflicts of interest. If the site discusses a controversial topic, does it discuss different points of view?

5. Consider the purpose of the website.
Why was the website created? To entertain, to sell products, to educate, or to advocate for a particular point of view?   Check the "About us" section (if the website has one -- a good website will!), and also check the domain name in the URL for insight into the site's mission. Here are examples of domain names associated with different types of organizations:


6. Site Maintenance. 
How up-to-date is the site?  does that matter for your topic?
Any obvious sloppiness, such as spelling problems, typos, or dead links? If a website is sloppy in some areas, it may be sloppy in others -- such as accuracy.