1. Evaluating Internet Sources

2. What Should You Do?  Identify the author and evaluate the author’s credentials  Identify bias and incomplete information in a website.  Identify the purpose of the website  Analyze facts to decide if they are true and complete  Determine the currency of the website

3. Identify the Author  Name  Qualifications  Well-known in their field  Any other sources the author has written/contributed to

4. Affiliation  Who sponsors the web site?  Is the author connected to an organization/institution?  What type of ending is in the URL: .org .gov .edu .net  Stay away from ~ (they typically lead to personal web pages)

5. Website Purpose  Who is the intended audience  Is the web site providing non-biased information or trying to convince you to believe one way over another  Is the information there to inform you or get you to buy something

6. Accuracy & Usefulness  Use your best judgment  If it seems unrealistic, it probably is  Can you verify this information on other websites as well  Is it factual or opinion-based?  Are additional resources referenced?  Will the information provided truly help you?

7. Currency  Is the site current  Can you find the last time the site was updated  Do all of the hyperlinks on the web page work & do they take you somewhere useful?  Is there a contact section?

8. Reliability of your Internet Source Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her and... Authority. If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu,.gov,.org, or.net), and,.. Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and... Currency. If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and... Coverage. If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then... You may have a Web page that could be of value to your research!