Evaluating Websites

 

 

      Why should you evaluate websites and the information they contain?  Think about this:  unlike in the print publishing world, where information is usually edited and vetted--subjected to expert appraisal--before it is published, anyone can put anything on the web.  So think of yourself as the one and only judge of what you find on the web.  How can you tell if information you find there is worth putting in a project or paper that you will put your name on?

 

 

What to look for:

 

 

WHO:  Who produced the site?  Do they know what they're talking about?  Look for "About Us", "Contact Us", "Philosophy", and similar words.  Is the person or group who authored the site named?  Are their credentials--education, training, organizational affiliation or sponsorship--listed? If so, check them out by consulting other, reputable websites or print sources.  If names or credentials are not given, you need to ask yourself why the authors don't want you to know who they are.

 

 

WHY:  What is the purpose of the site?  To sell you something, persuade you to join in a cause, fool you, or simply to provide information?

 

             Clues can be found in the domain name:

 

              .com = (commerce) These sites sell products.

 

              .org = (organization) Usually these are nonprofit organizations--such as charities, churches, public radio--which       are        not businesses out to make a profit.  HOWEVER,the .org domain name is no longer exclusive to nonprofits.

 

             .gov (government)  United States government offices and organizations.

 

             .mil (military) U.S. Military sites

 

             .edu  (education)  U.S. schools, colleges and universities

 

             Note:  Look out for personal sites put out by students rather than the school they attend.  These URLs usually contain a tilde (~) followed by a person's name

 

 

            Websites from foreign organizations or foreign governments may have the country code at the end. Some examples:

 

                      .uk = United Kingdom

                      .au = Australia

                      .cn = China

 

 

WHEN:  How current is the website?  Is the information up-to-date?  Currency is important for almost all kinds of information, but critical for medical, legal and business info.  Look for "last updated", publishing dates for the articles, and signs that the website is currently maintained.  Bear in mind that websites may have been created years ago and then abandoned. Check for broken links that don't work or lead to "site not found" or "this page has moved".       

 

 

WHAT:  Is the content of the website reliable and unbiased?  Is it scholarly?  Is the information factual or opinion?  Do the authors have an agenda?  That is, are they trying to persuade you to "join their side"?  Are both sides of the issue presented? From what sources are they getting their information?  Do they cite their sources so you can fact-check, or must you take them at their word?

 

Note:  Websites which try to persuade you to adopt a particular point of view on an issue are not necessarily providing "bad" information, but are nevertheless incomplete because they do not always tell the whole story.  If you use information from such sources, be sure to check it out by comparing it to information from unbiased sources, and seek out information that tells the other side of the issue.  Good sources of this kind of information are the library databases CQ Researcher and Issues & Controversies, and books like the Pro/Con series (Reference section:  HN59.2 P76), and the Opposing Viewpoints Series (find these in the online catalog by searching "opposing viewpoints" as Title Keyword).

 

 

For more information about how to tell if information you find on the web is scholarly, view this excellent short presentation created by librarian Karen Munro at the University of California-Berkeley Libraries:  

 

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/tutorials/scholarlycontentonline.html

 

 

 

 

Compare the two following websites.  Which one has more factual, unbiased, scientific information?  Do you perceive any bias?  What do the domain names tell you?

 

 

http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp

 

 

 

 

 

 NOTE:  I apologize to anyone who was offended by the site that was previously linked here.  That site was apparently hacked and rerouted to a very different site after I posted the link.  The link, when I posted it, was to a nonprofit organization supporting stem-cell research.  If users find any similar problems with this wiki, please contact me at once at mawade2@fhsu.edu or call Forsyth Library.

 

 

 

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