Evaluating web sites

1Copyright © 2007 Linda Valley All rights reserved.Copyright © 2007 Linda Valley All rights reserved.
http://www.mylibraryrocks.com/http://www.mylibraryrocks.com/
Evaluating Web Sites
It Looks Lovely,
But Is It True?

The Internet:
It’s a big world out there.
Since you were a child, adults were selecting books for
you. Your parents chose
books for you to read, while your
teachers chose texts
for you to use.
Now that you are old enough to visit the internet, you have to
be able to make informed choices on your own.

The Big Lie
There is one belief we must unlearn as we enter
cyberspace. It is erroneous and will cause us to make
poor judgments. The mistaken belief is that . . .
All that we see in print is true.

The Internet
After all, anyone can post messages. Anyone
can create a website. Anyone can pretend to
be someone else. Anyone can try to mislead
you.
As the internet becomes a more common
mode of sharing information, and
as the number of sites grows exponentially,
you will need to distinguish fact from fiction.

Copyright © 2007 Linda Valley All rights reserved.Copyright © 2007 Linda Valley All rights reserved.
Why is evaluating WebsitesWhy is evaluating Websites
Important?Important?
Anyone can put something on the Internet.
No one overseas what is put on the
internet for accuracy.
Documents can easily be copied with
omissions and errors, or falsified

Is information in a book better?Is information in a book better?
Book publishers check for inaccurate
information.
Not all printed information that exists is on
the Internet.

Guidelines for Evaluating WebGuidelines for Evaluating Web
ResourcesResources
 AuthorityAuthority
 AccuracyAccuracy
 ObjectivityObjectivity
 CurrencyCurrency
 CoverageCoverage
 DesignDesign

AuthorityAuthority
WhoWho created the Website?created the Website?
 Is there an “About”, “Biography”, or “Who am I” page that
tells about the author?
 What qualifications does this author have to write on this
topic; is the author an expert?
 Is there a “Contact” page with information provided?
 Where is this information being published from?

Authority
Authority merely means that an author of a web
site has credentials that prove he or she is
knowledgeable in a field. After all, you don’t want
information about your health provided by an
electrician in Ohio who enjoys reading health
guides during his lunch breaks!
Thus, when you arrive at a site, you should ask
several important questions that will help you
assess the credibility of the site.

A Question of Authority
?
• Is the author’s name present?
• What type of extension is at the
end of the URL?
• Is there an “About this site” & is
an e-mail address provided?
• Is there any biographical
information listed?
• Does the author have a degree
or job experience in the field
he/she is discussing?
• Is there a tilde (~) in the address
or URL?
• Is the author affiliated with a
prominent institution?
• Does he/she include a
bibliography of his/her previous
published works?
Anonymity should be considered
suspicious. A .com extension indicates
a commercial site, whereas an edu, gov
or org extension indicates an education,
government or organization site. An
author should be forthcoming with
information about himself, his
experience, and his affiliations. If any of
the information provided seems
fraudulent, try to cross-reference his
name and check his affiliations. Also, if
a tilde appears in his URL, it indicates
that the site is a personal page created
by an individual, not an institution. In
addition, make sure the site is not
created to sell a product. Usually, a
“commercial” site will contain “com” in its
URL. Finally, use good judgment and
trust your instincts!

A webpage and its URL (address)A webpage and its URL (address)
http://www.mylibraryrocks.com/

What is a URL?What is a URL?
Uniform Resource Locator
It is the address to a particular website
It provides information about a website

http://http://wwwwww.mylibraryrocks.mylibraryrocks.com.com
Http:// hypertext transfer protocol
(computer language used)
www World Wide Web
(connectivity – wireless, wires)
.mylibraryrocks Domain name
(the unique website identifier)
.com top level domain

Top Level DomainsTop Level Domains
.com - commercial (most common)
.org - non-profit
.net - Net
.edu - higher education
.k-12 - elementary & secondary education
.gov - Governement
.mil - Military

http://http://wwwwww.mylibrary.mylibrary.com.com/teen/teen.htm.htm
/teen file name/web page
.htm programming language

Examples of “Authority”Examples of “Authority”
 GoodGood
 http://www.ci.mankato.mn.us/http://www.ci.mankato.mn.us/
 Not So GoodNot So Good
 http://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/mankato.hhttp://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/mankato.h

AccuracyAccuracy
HowHow well is it developedwell is it developed
Can the information be verified?
Are there typos?

A Question of Accuracy
?
• Does the site contain numerous
spelling errors or numerical
inaccuracies?
• Does it include information that is
contradicted by other sites?
• Does it contradict itself?
• Is the information outdated or
obsolete?
• Are the links functioning? Are they
annotated?
• Has the site been operating
properly each time you visited?
• Is the content meaningful?
• Does it seem like fact or fiction?
You should be leery if a site includes
errors. This suggests that the author is
a questionable source of information.
So too, whenever you find a site that
seems like an ambiguous blend of fact
and fiction, or includes nonsensical
information, quickly move to another
site. Also, if a site or its links do not
operate properly, you cannot depend on
them to provide current data. In fact, you
can go to “File” and “Properties” or “Get
Info” to find the last date a site was
updated! Finally, any website that
seems intentionally confusing or
distracting should be avoided.

ObjectivityObjectivity
WhoWho is the information for?is the information for?
Who is the audience?
Is there advertising on the website?
Who is sponsoring it?
Is it unbiased; are both sides of an issue
presented?

Objectivity
 Purpose
 What is the purpose/objective of the website?
 Public service
 Educational
 Sway opinion
 Advertising
 Is the information free of advertising?
 If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly
differentiated from the informational content?
 Bias
 Is the point of view balanced?
 Is the information based on fact? Opinion? Prejudice?
 Are both sides of an issue presented?

Examples of “Objectivity”
p Good
n http://www.hgfound.org/
p Not So Good
n Bias http://www.martinlutherking.org/
n Advertising
http://www.angelfire.com/tv/infomercial/human_gr

CurrencyCurrency
WhenWhen was the information added?was the information added?
Is the page dated?
When was it last updated?
Do the links work?

CoverageCoverage
HowHow thorough is the information?thorough is the information?
Is the information provided general or
comprehensive ?
Are links provided for further research?

Design
p Navigation
n Are the links clearly labeled?
n Can you move from page to page easily?
n Can you find information easily?
p Interactivity
n Does the user engage with the site?
n How long does it take to load?
p Appearance
n Is the site aesthetically appealing?
n Is there good use of graphics and color?
n Can the page be read without excessive scrolling?

Examples of “Design”
p Good
n www.samford.edu
p Not So Good
n http://www.naturalsolutions1.com

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