Evaluating Internet Sites

  • Historians go to great pains to validate sources that they use in their research. We must be certain that a document is authentic, not a forgery. We must check its claims against other sources for reliability. The WWW offers a wealth of information, but not all of it is equally valid, accurate or reliable. As with all historical sources, we must learn to apply our critical thinking skills when evaluating Internet sources.
  • Use search engines to locate appropriate sites. You'll find other recommended search engies on the General Research Links Page .
  • Try to find good, information-rich sites appropriate to a college student audience. Do not use online encyclopedias, newspaper stories, or similar very general references. A web site should not just be one page or a single item. It should be a series of interconnected elements. Your course web site is a good example. Think of a site as an online pamphlet or mini-book that explores several aspects of a given topic. Search for sites specifically focused on your topic that have been created by individuals or organizations.
  • Examine each site, using the criteria below. Include the full web site name and address (URL) for each site. Be concise, but provide specific examples when appropriate. Give each site an overall rating, from 1=poor to 10=excellent.

    1. Authority:

      Does the site have a clearly identified author? What are his or her credentials for writing on this topic? Is the author affiliated with a scholarly or professional organization? Is the information on the site peer reviewed? Is there an email link so that you could contact the site author?

    2. Purpose & Coverage:

      Does the site have a clearly defined purpose and objectives? What is the audience, for example, grammar school, college, general public, specialists? What is the site's primary purpose? to provide information? to sell a product? to make a political point? to have fun? to parody a person or organization or idea? Is it a comprehensive resource or does it focus on a narrow range (subset) of information?

    3. Accuracy:

      Evaluate the amount, depth, and significance of the evidence presented. Are the arguments persuasive? Can factual information be verified through links, footnotes or bibliographies to credible sources? Compared with other sites and with what you know about the subject, does this information seem credible? Are there obvious typos, misspelled words, poor grammar, PASSIVE VOICE, or other signs of intellectual sloppiness?

    4. Timeliness:

      Is the initial publication date clear? Date of last update? Does the author attempt to keep the site current?

    5. Objectivity/Point of View:

      Does the site attempt to analyze the topic in a scholarly, objective fashion? Does the site display a particular bias or perspective? If, so give a specific example. Is the site clear and honest about its point of view of the subject? Does it use inflammatory or provocative language that might be offensive to some social group? If so, who might be offended?

    6. Design and Attractiveness:

      Briefly comment (pro or con) on the site's appearance. Negatives would include weird, hard-to-read fonts, distracting colors or backgrounds that promote eyestrain, clutter, poor organization. Comment on any other aesthetics that you wish.
  • This page draws upon concepts developed by Paula Hammett and is used with her permission. Gracias, Paula. See her Evaluating Web Resources page See also her article, "Teaching Tools for Evaluating World Wide Web Resources," Teaching Sociology, 27: 1 (January 1999): 31-37.
    Additional Information on Evaluating Internet Sites:
    Bibliographic Formats for Citing Electronic Information by Elizabeth Kirk, Johns Hopkins University
    Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web . For an updated version of this evaluation checklist, see Jan Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate's new book Web Wisdom, published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999.
    Extensive List of Sites with criteria for evaluating information resources. Maintained by Alastair Smith, intended to be particularly useful to librarians and others who are selecting sites to include in an information resource guide, or informing users as to the qualities they should use in evaluating Internet information.
    Bibliographical Citation Forms for Electronic Information (including Internet Sources)
    How to Search the Web: A Guide To Search Tools by Terry A. Gray