Are these Websites Legit?Lynn Berard, Science Libraries

Spring 2013

Evaluating Web Resources5 Major Criteria

• Accuracy

• Authority

• Objectivity

• Currency

• Coverage

What is your favorite website?

Accuracy

• Rationale: http://www.oncolink.org/; https://www.penncancer.org/

• Anyone can publish anything on the Web.– Unlike traditional print resources, web resources rarely

have editors or fact-checkers.

– No web standards exist to ensure accuracy.– Know the distinction between author and webmaster.

– http://www.umbachconsulting.com/miscellany/velcro.html

Authority Is there an author? Is the page signed?

Is the author qualified? An expert?

• Rationale: It’s often hard to determine a web page’s authorship.- Even if a page is signed, qualifications aren’t

generally given. http://inequality.org/– Look for a header or footer showing affiliation.– Look at the domain. (.edu, .com, .ac.uk, .org.,

net)http://www.ovaprima.org/index.htm

Objectivity View any Web page as you would an infomercial on

television. Ask yourself why was this written and for whom?

• Rationale: http://www.beefnutrition.org• Frequently the goals of the sponsors aren’t clearly

stated.• Often the Web serves as a virtual “soapbox”.• Be wary of advertising masked as information• http://wesa.fm/2012/10/05/website-aims-bring-objectivity-marcellus-shale-economic-reports

Currency• Is the page dated?

• Is so, when was the last update? http://www.cmpharm.ucsf.edu/cohen/research/pages/genomics.html

• How current are the links? Have some expired or moved?

• Is there a difference between created date and last update?

• CNN: http://www.cnn.com/

Coverage• What topics are covered?• What does this page offer that is not found

elsewhere? http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

• How in-depth is the material?• Is it all images, or a balance of text and

images?• Is the information presented cited correctly?

http://www.yogakitty.com/

Format and Presentation

• Is the information easy to get to? How many links does it take to get to something useful?

• Is the target audience or intended users clearly indicated?

• Does the site have its own search engine?Http://www.whitehouse.nethttp://www.whitehouse.gov/

Evaluating Website Resources

• Five criteria for evaluating Web Pages http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webcrit.html

• Tutorial: http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/websiteevaluation_tutorial.cfm

Evaluating Website Resources

• Five criteria for evaluating Web Pages http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webcrit.html

• Tutorial: http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/websiteevaluation_tutorial.cfm