Website Evaluation Checklists
A large percentage of the information found on the internet has
not gone through the editorial and /or peer review that magazine articles and
published books do. The nature of the internet allows anyone with a computer and
an internet connection to publish to the web and to communicate his thoughts,
biases, and opinions via Web 2.0 internet sites. Therefore it is essential to
know how to evaluate a website before it can be used in research papers.
Most authorities will discourage you from using information gleaned from a blog
or a wiki. By the very nature of these types of sites, the information is more
susceptible to bias, personal opinion and inaccurate, unsubstantiated
information. When evaluating the information from a blog that you feel needs to
be used in your research, look at it as critically, if not more, as you would
any other information source you use from the internet. Before you use
information from blogs or wikis in your research paper, check with your
instructor.
The following checklists help you to look at websites, blogs and wikis
critically to determine if the site you are looking at is a good one for your
research purposes.
Click on the following links for the type of website you are evaluating:
WEBSITES
BLOGS
WIKIS
Use the following criteria to help you when looking at sites found on the web:
WEBSITES
Title of Site:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
URL of Site: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Criteria | Considerations |
Indicator:
Yes No Can't Tell |
| Authority Who is responsible for the information? |
Does this person’s job
give him the knowledge to provide accurate information?
Is the author well known and well regarded in his field? Is the page rated well in a directory?
|
|
| Accuracy What is on the site? Is the information correct? |
Can the information be
verified independently from another source? Is there a bibliography that can be checked? Are there obvious errors or inconsistencies in the information or grammar or spelling errors? Does it contain links to other sources that support the information – “links”, “additional sites”, “related links”, or in-text links that are annotated? |
|
| Currency and Ease of Use When was it created? How easy is it to use? |
When was the article
published? Has it been recently updated? Are there any dead links on the page? Has information in the field drastically changed since this article was published? Does the page open quickly and is it free of advertisements? Are the pages appealing and free of clutter or distracting graphics? If the site contains lots of information or several pages, is there a hot-linked table of contents, crumb trail or other navigational help? |
|
| Purpose and Domain What representing body owns the site and why was the information placed on the web? |
What is the
URL
extension and what does it mean? (.com, .gov, .edu, .org) Is the representing body of the site a reputable organization/ person? Is the author of the article endorsed by the site’s owner? (Look for a tilde ~ or % in the URL. If it is there, the site does not endorse the author; it only provides a place for the author to publish the information.) Is this a personal page or site? Is there bias? Is the language use and level of vocabulary appropriate to the intended audience? Is this site age-appropriate for my research purposes? Why was the page put on the web – inform, persuade, sell, satire or parody, other? |
|
| Usefulness of the information | Am I confident enough
in the author, the publishing agency and the seriousness and accuracy of
the information found in this site to use it in my research paper? Are the web page and the information on it appropriate for my research purposes? Was the site worth visiting?
|
|
| My decision about using this
site: Rate it according to the criteria below |
Evaluation Criteria for
your sites:
15 or more Positive responses: Excellent site; use it.
10 – 15 Positive responses: Good; consider using it if
no better one is available.
9 or fewer Positive responses: Poor site; look for
another one.
Title of Site: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
URL of Site: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Criteria | Considerations |
Indicator:
Yes No Can't Tell |
| Authority
|
Who is the blogger/
person responsible for the blog? Blog postings should be signed by an
identifiable author. Is this person qualified to give information on this subject? How do you know? |
|
| Purpose
|
Why does the blog
exist?
|
|
| Accuracy and Reliability of
the Info. Can I be
sure the information is correct and not biased? |
Is the information the
blogger’s opinion or fact What kind of material is the blogger reading or citing? Is the content covered in any depth, with any authority? Are there links to support what this person says? Do these links lead to reliable sites or to another blog/ blogger? Is the blogger honest about his/her bias? Does the blog discuss/ allow other points of view? |
|
| Currency
|
Is the blog alive with a substantial archive?
|
Is this a good site to use for your research? Why?
Title of Site: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
URL of Site: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Criteria | Considerations |
Indicator:
Yes No Can't Tell |
| Authority
|
Who began the wiki?
Check out the sponsorship of the wiki. How many people appear to be responsible for the information? |
|
| Purpose
|
What is the purpose of
this collaborative project? Does this suit your needs for your research paper? |
|
| Accuracy and Reliability of the
Info.
|
Does the information
appear to be accurate? Does the information you are interested in
provide cites to sources you can use to check the information? Can you
validate the information through other independent sources
(triangulation)? Is the information improved by having a variety of participants contributing to the site? Are there guidelines for the contributors to follow? Can you determine if there is monitoring of the content and who is responsible for the task? How heavily edited are the pages you plan to use? Are the edits reasonable and substantially improve the information there? |
|
| Currency Is the
wiki active and are the posts up-to-date? |
Does the project
appear to be alive?
|
Is this a good site to use for your research? Why?
Types of Websites
Basic website types: Their purpose, scope and structure
Commercial Website
The purpose of this type of website is to sell
products or services. Commercial websites are used for promoting a business or
service and are among the most common type of website on the internet. The
Internet address often ends with .com.
http://www.rocketface.com/types_of_websites/commercial_website.html
Personal Website
The purpose of this type of website is to provide
information about an individual or group. This type of website is run by an
individual or a small group (such as a family) that contains information or any
content that the individual wishes to include. The Internet address has a
variety of endings.
http://www.rocketface.com/types_of_websites/personal_website.html
Organizational Website
The purpose of this type of website is to advocate an
individual’s opinion or a group’s point of view. A website where persons with
similar interests communicate with each other, usually by chat or message
boards. The Internet address often ends with .org.
http://www.rocketface.com/types_of_websites/organizational_website.html
Educational Website
The purpose of this type of website is to provide
information about an educational establishment or to present information in an
educational manner. The Internet address ends in .edu.
http://www.rocketface.com/types_of_websites/educational_website.html
Entertainment Website
The purpose of this type of website is to entertain
and provide amusement. The Internet address often ends with .com.
http://www.rocketface.com/types_of_websites/entertainment_website.html
News Website
The purpose of this type of website is to provide
information about current events, dedicated to dispensing news and commentary.
The Internet address often ends with .com.
http://www.rocketface.com/types_of_websites/news_website.html
Definitions for the different types of websites from:
DeFazzio, Gene. Rocketface®Workshop: How to
Design a Website. 2010. Web. 6 July 2010.
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