1. Website Evaluation
"Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com“

2. How to evaluate a website
Authority
Who wrote the pages and are they an expert?
Is the name on the site the author or
the Webmaster?
Does the site provide author contact information and author
biography?
Who published the site
**Look for About or More About the author on the
webpage
**Google author to get credentials/background
information
**Look at domain name for indication of site sponsor/publisher

3. Bias
What is the purpose of the site – is it stated?
Is the information opinion or fact? Is it biased
in some way?
Is site free of words such as NEVER or
ALWAYS

4. Coverage
Is the topic and purpose of the site easy
to identify?
Is the information provided relevant to your
research needs.
Is the layout well thought out and well
organized?
Is it easy to move from one place to
another? Are the links relevant?

5. Accuracy
Does the information agree with information
from other sources?
Are sources cited or listed in bibliography?
Does this Web site provide useful information?
Are there spelling, grammatical or typographical
errors?

6. Currency
Is the information presented current?
Is there a copyright or revision date available?
Do all of the links function properly?

7. Additional things to consider
=Where does the information come from:
Regulated
government agency: federal (.gov)
educational institution (.edu or k12)
Unregulated
commercial business: (.com)
organization: service oriented, non-profit (.org)
network organization (generic/all-purpose) – ??? (.net)

8. Examples of sources that are often the most credible:
Official government websites
Institutional sites that represent universities, regulatory agencies, governing bodies, and respected organizations with specific expertise (e.g., the Mayo Clinic)
Peer-reviewed journals
Reputable news sources
Sources located on subscription databases
Examples of sources that are often considered less
credible:
Blogs
Web forums
Individual or business websites
Materials published by an entity that may have an ulterior motive
A domain name points to one or more IP addresses. Every domain name requires a domain suffix to indicate the Top Level Domain it belongs to. The top level domain sometimes indicates the type of website rgw URL is linked to.

9. What is the important thing about a:
Subscription database
paid for
pre-selected material
reliable
published magazines, reports, documents, newspapers, books, images, etc.

10. Subscription Databases available at KFLMC
eLibrary Science
eLibrary
Galenet
CultureGrams
Proquest
Sirs

11. Subscription Databases provided by PA Dept. of Education
Locating databases in school:
Go to Destiny library home page
Click on link POWER LIBRARY
Select appropriate database
Locating databases at home
Use web address: database.accesspa.org/
Select your county (Dauphin)
Select PUBLIC LIBRARY
Before being able to use, you will need to select your local library name and enter your public library card #.

13. Websites to Evaluate http://www.basicplanet.com/mars/