| Criteria |
Questions to Ask |
Where to look for the answers |
| 1. AUTHORITY / RESPONSIBILITY |
Who is the author of the page? Is it an individual or a group? What are the author's qualifications to speak on this issue? |
Look for authorship, responsible party information in:
- top & side navigation bars
- page headers, footers
|
| 2. PURPOSE |
How would you describe the content of the page? What is the purpose of the page? (To entertain? To inform? To persuade? To deceive?) |
Read "About." links or look for mission statements to determine the purpose of the site. |
| 3. CURRENCY |
When was the page last updated? Do the links work? |
Look for evidence of currency by checking the footer for last update. |
| 4. OBJECTIVITY |
How objectively is the content presented? Is more than one side given? |
- Check out bias, advocacy
- Examine the URL:
- .com usually means selling you something is the bottom line
- .org can signal advocacy for a cause
- ~ in the address commonly signifies a personal page
- .gov or .edu are generally more authoritative sites, but examine any site closely
|
| 5. ACCURACY |
Are there any misspellings or errors on the page? |
Examine the body of the page for
- typos or other mistakes that can indicate whether or not the content is reliable
- sources or footnotes for any statistics or facts presented
|
| 6. APPROPRIATENESS |
Would this page be an appropriate source for a research paper? Why or why not? |
Do your answers to the questions above add up to a good source? |
