1. Evaluating information on the www
Holy Spirit Library
Cabrini College
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2. Evaluating information on the www
Reasons to evaluate
Guidelines for evaluating the information
Types of web pages
Anatomy of a url
Evaluation Criteria

3. Reasons to evaluate Anyone can create a Web page
advertise a product, service
recreation, entertainment
disseminate propaganda
Facts and opinions are mixed
Payment schemes
Pay per click: Keywords auctioned to advertisers
Pay per action: Advertisers pay only when a click results in an action.

4. Types of Web Pages Personal News Advocacy Informational (Specialized)
individual’s information
(~) .com, .name
News
most up to date information
.com, .net
Advocacy
influence public opinion
.org
Informational (Specialized)
presents factual/technical info
.edu, .gov, museum, .aero, .mil, .pro
Commercial/Business
sells a product
.com, ..net, .biz, .coop
General
general purpose use
.info

5. Anatomy of a url http://www.whitehouse.net
The protocol:
The URL web server (domain):
The path of the document: library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_human_shields/
The file: index.html

6. Five Criteria for Evaluating a Web Page
Evaluation criteria
Five Criteria for Evaluating a Web Page
Authority
Accuracy/Objectivity
Currency
Audience
Purpose

7. Evaluation Criteria Authority Audience Accuracy Purpose Currency
Who is the author or institution?
Audience
For whom is the page intended/written?
Accuracy
Is the content accurate, objective, and supported by other sources?
Purpose
What is the purpose of the web page?
Currency
How current is the information?

8. Authority Who is the author or institution?
Is there biographical information about the author?
If an institution has written the resource, does it give information about that institution, including its purpose, history, and street address?
What clues does the URL give you about a source’s authority? (.edu, .gov, .com, .org., and so forth)

9. Accuracy/objectivity
Is the content accurate and objective?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, or institutional biases?
If the information is opinion, is this clearly stated?
If other sources have been used, is this acknowledged? Are there footnotes or references to these sources?

10. Audience
Is the Web page intended for the general public, or is it meant for scholars, practitioners, children, and so forth?
Does the Web page meet the needs of its stated audience?

11. Purpose What is the purpose of the page?
Is the purpose of the information to inform, explain, persuade, market a product, or advocate a cause?
Is the purpose clearly stated?
Does the resource fulfill the stated purpose?

12. Currency How current is the information?
Is there a date on the Web page that indicates when the page was placed on the Web?
Is it clear when the page was last updated?
Is some of the information obviously out-of-date?
Does the page creator mention how frequently the material is updated?

13. Evaluating pages: Melville

14. Evaluating Web Sites http://www.martinlutherking.org/library.html
Authority
Who is the author or institution?
Audience
For whom is the page intended/written?
Accuracy
Is the content accurate, objective, and supported by other sources?
Purpose
What is the purpose of the web page?
Currency
How current is the information?