Evaluating Internet Information Sources
Relevance and Audience
What type of information does this source present that you could use in a college paper? How does this source add substantially to your knowledge of the topic?
Who is the audience for this source? Think about how it is appropriate for your college class. It is it written for the general public, people working in that field, or researchers?
Currency
Does your topic require timely materials? When was the website last updated? Is it still being maintained?
Look for posting dates, editing dates or references to past events.
Author's expertise
Is an author listed? Is there any indication that the author's credentials (position, education, experience, other publications) qualify them to write on this topic?
If the web site doesn't give any information about the author:
- Search for other websites by or about this author
- Search the library databases or Google Scholar to find other articles by this author, or to find other articles that cite your author's works.
If the website does not list authors, look for the leader most directly responsible the content.
Reliability
How reliable is the information presented? Can you confirm stated facts or claims through other reputable sources?
References
If the author cites published books or articles from periodicals, find examples of some that impressed you.
Are these books or articles scholarly and reliable? Usually articles published by academic faculty are the most scholarly and those published by an organization with a strong viewpoint or profit motive are the least reliable.
If the author does not cite published sources, search for examples of experts they quoted.
What are the credentials of these experts? Think about why you respect their statements or not.
Sponsoring Organization
If an organization is responsible for the website, what is it? What is this organization's purpose? Usually an "About us" link on the home page will explain that.
Is the organization respected by reputable people in the field? If you don't know, search for articles that talk about the organization, or websites that link to it.
The last part of the domain name (.edu, .gov, .org) does not always give you an indication of the source. Scholars may choose to post their material on a .com domain, for-profit organizations may register a .org domain, etc.
Viewpoint / Independence
Would the author/organization benefit from presenting biased information? What underlying values, assumptions, or purpose might be implied in the website? Think about how they strongly or subtly affect the content of the site.
- Does the sponsor favor or oppose a particular position?
- Is this site neutral? Does it attempt to give a balanced discussion of the issue?
- Does this site accurately portray opposing points of view?
More Info
Evaluating Web Content - Excellent guide from University of New York/Albany, which includes evaluating blogs, wikis, and information from social networking sites.Internet Detective - Tutorial on how to effectively evaluate web sites for their value as academic resources.
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask, from the University of California Berkeley.
Evaluating Internet Information, from Johns Hopkins University.