Personal and Cultural Identity
Criteria for Evaluating Websites
1. Investigate the author. Before information is used or cited, it is important to find out who the author is and what makes the author qualified to write on the subject. Pay attention to the way an author expresses opinions or facts. Are there indications of bias? Online articles and web pages often do not clearly include the name of the author. When this happens, it helps to know several investigative techniques.
from: https://21cif.com/rkitp/course/twohourworkshop/authorfind.html
2. Before information is used or cited, it is important to find out who the publisher is--especially if an author cannot be found--and what makes them qualified to publish on the subject. If an author for an online article or web page cannot be found, then it is imperative to find the publisher or organization responsible for hosting the Web site. The publisher can almost always be found. Look at the history of the publisher, other works published, reputation and objectivity. What do the findings indicate about the credibility of their work?
from: https://21cif.com/rkitp/course/twohourworkshop/publisherfind.html
3. Before information is used or cited, it is important to find out how old it is and if that makes a difference. The date of an online article or the last time a Web page was modified is not always possible to find. Depending on the nature of the information and its purpose, being confident that it is recent enough for current events or old enough accurately to reflect historical perspectives can be vitally important.
from: https://21cif.com/rkitp/course/twohourworkshop/datefind.html
4. Before information is used or cited, it is important to check out its online references: who links to it and what links the author has placed on the page. Links are one of the easiest credibility indicators to locate. Search engines index all the pages that a Web page links to, which makes it possible to search for the pages in the search engine's database that point back to a page of interest.
from: https://21cif.com/rkitp/course/twohourworkshop/linksfind.html
So, after investigating the author, publisher, date and links of a website, consider and review these 5 areas/questions you should ask about every site you visit or use.
1. Content [What?]
Is the site a good source for information? • Was the site worth visiting?
2. Accuracy [When?]
Is the information on the site accurate? • Is the information on the site accurate? • How do you know it is accurate? • Are the facts documented?
3. Authority [Who?]
Who is the author(s)? • What are the author's credentials? • What is the expertise of the authors? • Are the authors biased in any way? How do you know? • Who is responsible for the site?
4. Purpose [Why?]
What is the purpose of the site? What is the point of view of the site? How do you know?
5. Design [Where?]
Was this site designed for the internet or is it a written article put on the internet? How do you know? What difference does it make to the information?