| Evaluation Criteria |
Questions and Techniques |
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Relevance
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Question:
Does this site provide the type of information I need?
Techniques:
Look for Site Index, Site Map, or Table of Contents page to get a quick sense of what's available.
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Purpose
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Questions:
Is the purpose to inform or provide news, to explain or document, to persuade, advocate, or sell?
Does the site meet its stated purpose?
Technique:
Examine "About this site" pages for an indication of intent.
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Authority
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Question:
Does the author have appropriate education, training, or experience to write with authority on this topic?
Techniques:
Look for a biographical statement, resume, or background on the organizational "author."
Check for other writings by or about this author (use online catalogs or periodical indexes).
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Publisher or host
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Questions:
Is this an official or unofficial site?
Does the Internet host site or "publisher" offer links back to this site from its own pages?
Techniques:
Follow links back to host site page or enter the URL for the top level domain.
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Content accuracy, bias
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Questions:
Are the sources of information presented at the site clearly indicated?
What types of resources are used to support arguments?
Does the author attempt to substantiate controversial claims?
Are there references to alternative points of view?'
Is the author affiliated with any organization that may have a "vested interest" in the topic?
Techniques:
Look carefully at strongly worded assertions for supporting evidence and documentation.
Pay attention to the tone of the writing.
In some cases, you may want to check against other published sources.
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Coverage
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Question:
Do other sites cover topics or aspects that are missing from this site?
Technique:
Compare to other Web sites on the same topic. Try Google's Similar Pages.
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Currency
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Questions:
Can you tell when material was written?
Is the site well maintained (e.g. links functional)?
Is there evidence of newly added information or links?
Techniques:
Look at page creation, revision dates.
Check any "What's New" pages.
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Recognitions
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Questions:
Has this site been generally recognized by others as reliable, by reviews or by others linking to it?
How did you locate it initially - from a reference in an online "guide" source or by a keyword
search?
Techniques:
Look at any formal evaluations or reviews of the site.
Search for other sites which have linked to this page. In Google search link:URL e.g. link:lii.org
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