URL of resource/web page you are evaluating:

Your instructor:

Enter your name(s):

Your e-mail address:

1. Authority

• Is the author of the page clearly identified? What are his or her credentials writing on this topic?
• Is the author affiliated with an organization? What is the reputation of that organization?
• Is there a link back to the organization's page or some other way to contact the organization and/or verify its credibility? (address, phone number, e-mail address?)

2. Purpose and coverage

• Are the purpose and objectives of the page clear?
• Is it geared to a particular audience or level of expertise?
• Is the primary purpose to provide information? to sell a product? to make a political point? to have fun? to parody a person or organization or idea?
• Is it a comprehensive resource or does it focus on a narrow range of information? Is it clear about this focus?
• If it's an information database, are the dates of coverage clear and appropriate to your needs?
• If the page is interactive (a simulation, for instance), did it effectively present the information in a usable format?

3. Accuracy

• Is the page part of an edited or peer-reviewed publication?
• Has the site been evaluated by one of the Web subject indexes, a rating service or a library? If so, can you tell what criteria they used?
• Did you find this source using one of the broad search engines such as Alta Vista or Hot Bot? They neither select the best pages nor filter out questionable ones, so you need to evaluate the choices more carefully.
• Based on what you already know about the subject (or have checked from other sources), does this information seem credible?
• Are there obvious typos or misspelled words or other signs of sloppiness?

4. Timeliness

• Is it clear when the information was published?
• When was it last updated?
• Are there any indications that an attempt is made to keep the pages current?
• If there are links to other web pages, are they current?

5. Integrity of the information

• Is the source of any factual information clearly stated?
• Are the source, scope and date of any statistics clearly labeled?
• Is it clear whether or not the information as been excerpted from a larger piece?
• Is there a way to tell if this is the most recent version of a particular piece?
• Does the page rely on photographic images to make a point? If so, be aware that digital images can be easily manipulated.

6. Objectivity

• Does the page display a particular bias or perspective? Is it clear and forthcoming about its view of the subject?
• If the page contains advertising, are the ads clearly distinguishable from the content?