Tips for Evaluating Web Sources
- Who created it?
- What are the author’s credentials? Ideally, the name of the person who wrote the content will be provided; if not, look at least for a group or organization that is taking responsibility for the content. Websites created by people affiliated with certain types of institutions, like universities, government agencies, and museums, usually are more reliable. Look for websites with the following domains: .edu, .gov. Watch out for the domains: .com, .org, .net
- How high is the quality of the information?
- If the page’s writing quality (grammar, spelling, etc.) is poor, it is likely that the quality of the information is also poor. Look also for depth in the subject matter. A one-paragraph blog post is unlikely to have sufficient depth to be a valid source for a research paper, even if the author is a well-known scholar. Go a step further, instead, and track down his or her related published research. Finally, are sources cited?
- Is the website written objectively?
- The vast majority of pages found on the Internet through standard search engines like Google serve some sort of commercial purpose. Ask yourself the following questions: Is something being sold? Is there a hidden agenda? Is the web site used for advertising? Look also for evidence of social or political bias. Is the website intended to disseminate an individual or group’s ideology?
