Website+Eluation+Criteria

 Checklist for Evaluating Web Sites

Anyone can write a webpage. You must judge the quality or accuracy of the information you find on the World Wide Web.

It is important to find out who is the author and what are the author's qualifications or expertise, in order to determine the credibility and reliability of the information.
 * AUTHORITY AND ACCURACY**
 * Who is the author of the Web site?
 * What part of the URL (Web address) gave you clues about authorship? Circle all that apply: .com, .edu, .gov, .net, .org, .uk
 * What are the qualifications of the author or group that created the site?

Determine the purpose of the Web site by looking closely at the content of the information. Some sites provide links to information [|about our organization] or a [|Mission Statement], detailing the purpose in creating the Web site, while the purpose of others might not be obvious at first. > Is currency important to the type of information available on this Web site? Explain your answer.
 * PURPOSE AND CONTENT**
 * What is the purpose of the Web page or site?
 * Example: advertisement, personal web page, scholarly or education.
 * Does the Web site provide any contact information or means of communicating with the author or Webmaster?
 * CURRENCY**
 * The currency or regularity of updating information is vital for some types of Web sites, and not so important for others.
 * When was the Web site last revised, modified or updated?
 * Are links broken (Error 404 messages)?
 * DESIGN, ORGANIZATION AND EASE OF USE**
 * Design, organization and ease of use are important considerations. Web sites can provide useful sources of information. However, if they are slow to load or difficult to navigate, search and read, then their contribution and usefulness will be lost.
 * In your opinion, how does the Web site appear overall? Are words spelled correctly?
 * Does the website lead you to other sources that are useful?


 * BIAS**
 * Who is the intended audience for your website? Does the website appear biased or provide one-side information?