Library

Web Site Evaluation

To determine if a site will be acceptable for use in a research paper, always ask:

• Does this site help answer my question? If not, close it up and look for another.

• Who is the author?

• Did an organization or institution sponsor this site?

• What are the qualifications of the author or sponsor?

• Does the author, organization or institution appear to have a bias?

• To the best of my knowledge, is the information accurate? Does the writing appear to be a satire or a spoof?

• When was the site last updated?

• Is there a way to contact the author of the site?

When the answers to these questions are not obvious, don't give up! Play detective: Look for clues, such as a "home" button, and "about me " button, or a "mission" button.

For great tips, tricks and detailed help on how to evaluate a website, visit:

Evaluating Web Pages: Experience Why It's Important  UC Berkeley- Teaching Library Internet Workshops