Handout+on+Website+Evaluation

What sources are credible? What questions or answers to look for 1. Who authored (wrote) the site? 2. Who published the site? 5. What is the quality of information provided on the website?
 * How to find out:
 * Look for an “About” or “More about the Author” link at the top, bottom or sidebar of the webpage. Some pages will have a corporate author rather than a single person as an author. If no information about the author(s) of the page is provided, be suspicious.
 * Does the author provide his/her credentials?
 * What type of expertise does s/he have on the subject s/he is writing about? Does s/he indicate what his/her education is? What type of experience s/he has? Should you trust his/her knowledge of the subject?
 * Try “Googling” the author – search his/her name at www.google.com. What kinds of websites are associated with your author’s name? Is s/he affiliated with any education institutions? Do commercial sites come up? Do the websites associated with the author give you any clues to particular biases the authormight have?
 * How to find out:
 * Look at the domain name of the website – that will tell you who is hosting the site. For instance, the Lee College Library website is: http://www.lee.edu/library. The domain name is "lee.edu." That tells you that the library website is hosted by Lee College.
 * Do a search on the domain name at http://www.whois.sc/. This site provides information about the owners of registered domain names. What is the organization’s main purpose? Check the organization’s main website, if it has one. Is it educational? Commercial? Is it a reputableorganization?
 * Don’t ignore the suffix on the domain name (the three-letter part that comes after the “.”). The suffix is usually (but not always) descriptive of what type of entity hosts the website. Keep in mind that it is possible for sites to obtain suffixes that are misleading.
 * Here are some examples:
 * .edu = educational
 * .com = commercial
 * .mil = military
 * .gov = government
 * .org = nonprofit
 * 1) What is the main purpose of the site? Why did the author write it and the publisher post it?
 * To sell a product?
 * As a personal hobby?
 * As a public service?
 * To further scholarship on a topic?
 * To provide general information on a topic?
 * To persuade you of a particular point of view
 * 1) Who is the intended audience?
 * Scholars or the general public?
 * Which age group is it written for?
 * Is it aimed at people from a particular geographic area?
 * Is it aimed at members of a particular profession or with specific training?
 * Timeliness: when was the website first published? Is it regularly updated? Check for dates at the bottom of each page on the site.
 * Does the author cite sources? Just as in print sources, web sources that cite their sources are considered morereliable. It shows that the author has done his/her homework and is familiar with scholarship in the field.
 * What type of other sites does the website link to?
 * 1) How does it all add up?
 * Compare the information you’ve gathered about your website to your information needs -- does this website provide an appropriateness of fit?


 * If you are in doubt, ask your instructor or a librarian for help!