Criteria

• What are the author's credentials?
• Can you contact the creator?
• If it's an organization, what type of organization?
  

Some things to think about

• Can the author be verified as a recognized expert on the subject?
• Has she/he published in print, peer-reviewed sources?
• Does an email or mailing address appear on site?
• Is the institution or organization recognized and respected?
  

Strategies

• Look for the information in "about" or "about us" "who we are" "what is"...
• Decode the URL: domain name can tell you if it is a government site, an academic site, or a commercial site.
  

Criteria

• Why was this site created?
• What does site’s purpose suggest to you?
• Who is the intended audience?

Some things to think about

• Commercial/Marketing - To sell?
• Advocacy - To persuade?
• Informational/News - To provide information without charge?
• Personal - To share info, ideas, opinions, etc., of an individual?

Strategies

• Go back to the "about" section to see if there is a stated ideology, mission, or purpose. Domain name?

Criteria

• Does the site have an obvious point of view?
• Is the language free of emotion-arousing words and bias?
• Who sponsors the site?
  

Some things to think about

• Try to avoid obvious bias if you are trying to report "facts."
• However, advocacy sites may collect information from many sources, & make connections more objective sources won’t!
  

Strategies

• Check facts cited on the website against other sources.
• If the site carries advertisements, consider what they advertise against content point of view.
• Sponsors may not be declared; your ATTENTION may be the “product” the creator is selling to a third party!
  

Criteria

• When was the site produced?
• When was it last updated?
• Are the links up-to-date?
  

Some things to think about

• Is the information on the page outdated?
• Ask yourself: does the information require frequent updating—or not?
• Are the links current? How many dead links are on the page?

Strategies

• Look for a last revised or updated date, sometimes at the top of the page, sometimes at the bottom.
• Look for a last revised date through the browser. For example, in Firefox, try:
  Go to Tools > Page Info, or right click on page > Page Info.
  

Don't believe everything you read on the Web (or anywhere else)!
Think critically, be skeptical!
The best resources may not be on the Web!!!
Any questions? Ask a librarian!