Use these 5 criteria to evaluate Websites: Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency, Coverage
Accuracy
- Who is the author? What is their contact information? Is the author qualified to write the document?
- What is the purpose of the document?
- Are the facts and statistics accurate? Can they be verified elsewhere?
Authority
- What are the author's credentials?
- Was the document produced by an individual or an institution?
- What is the domain of the Website: Is it a .gov or .edu?
- Does the Website list their sources?
Objectivity
- Is the document the opinion of the author or is it based on facts?
- What are the goals & objectives of the Website? Are they trying to sell you something?
Currency
- When was the Website produced?
- When was the Website/Web page last updated?
- Are there many broken/bad links?
Coverage
- Is the information cited accurately?
- Have the links on the page been evaluated? Do the links complement the themes presented in the document?
- Is there a balance between text and images?
Source: Cornell University Library, Five Criteria for Evaluating Web pages.
