Web Site Evaluation

» 10 C's For Evaluating Internet Sources
   Criteria to consider when evaluating Internet resources. [PDF]

   
   http://www.uwec.edu/library/research/guides/tenCs.pdf

» An Educators' Guide to Credibility and Web Evaluation
   Paper/course written in 1999 with a 2002 update. Covers why evaluate, methods of evaluation, and why and how to teach it in the schools.

   
   http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/credibility/index.html

» Better Read That Again: Web Hoaxes and Misinformation
   Categorizes problematic sites and gives many examples of each type. Ends with a section which points to sites which give people accurate information as well as warnings about hoaxes and half-true stories.

   
   http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/sep00/piper.htm

» Cal Poly State University - Information Competence Tutorials
   Nine tutorials provide guidance and practical exercises on information competence.

   
   http://multiweb.lib.calpoly.edu/infocomp/modules/index.html

» Choice Framework
   Developed to evaluate the quality of health-related websites aimed primarily at online health consumers. Evaluation criteria fall under the headings of Credibility, Content, Disclosure, Links, Design, Interactivity, Caveats and Differentiation.

   
   http://www.geocities.com/choiceframework/

» Contentbank.org - The Search for High-Quality Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Communities: Evaluating and Producing What's Needed
   Research and recommendations to encourage the creation of low-barrier content and the careful evaluation of existing content to ensure that low-income and underserved individuals find a wide array of the online resources they want most. An Issue Brief a

   
   http://www.contentbank.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Research_From_The_Childrens_Partnership&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=6646

» Cornell University Library - Evaluating Research Materials
   Guidance on critical analysis of information sources, distinguishing scholarly and nonscholarly periodicals, and evaluating web sites.

   
   http://www.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/evaluating/index.html

» Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites
   Checklist of content and technical aspects to consider.

   
   http://www.evalutech.sreb.org/criteria/web.asp

» Critically Analyzing Information Sources
   Principles applicable to physical information sources as well as web-based ones.

   
   http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm

» Don't Believe Everything You Read: Ideas for Reading Critically
   Short pdf file. Suggestions for evaluating anything you read. [PDF]

   
   http://www.iusb.edu/~libg/pdf/critical-reading.pdf

» Evaluating Credibility of Information on the Internet
   An essay that considers peer review, author's credentials, writing style, and plausibility of information. [PDF]

   
   http://www.rbs0.com/credible.pdf

» Evaluating Electronic Resources
   Suggested criteria for evaluating Web resources for e-libraries.

   
   http://www.thelearningsite.net/cyberlibrarian/elibraries/eval.html

» Evaluating Information on the Web
   Online tutorial covering authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage.

   
   http://www.library.drexel.edu/resources/tutorials/webeval/intro.html

» Evaluating Internet Research Sources
   Guidelines for evaluating Internet sources, including a checklist to help assure credibility, accuracy, reasonableness, and supported claims.

   
   http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm

» Evaluating Public Websites
   A brief instruction how to use the linked, one page PDF form to evaluate sites. The form results generates an overall numeric rating with an indication of acceptable or unacceptable for use. The focus of the form is on information quality, not appearance

   
   http://aumnicat.aum.edu/internet/evaluateweb.html

» Evaluating Quality
   Questions to ask and tips for looking for authoritative information on the internet.

   
   http://www.walthowe.com/navnet/quality.html

» Evaluating Quality on the Net
   Criteria and indicators for evaluating information found on sites, their quality, and reliability.

   
   http://www.hopetillman.com/findqual.html

» Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask
   Includes checklist form (PDF) that can be used to analyze web sites and pages.

   
   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

» Evaluating Web Resources
   Concepts and questions to consider when looking at websites as a source of information.

   
   http://libweb.sonoma.edu/assistance/eval.html

» Evaluating Web Sites
   A brief introduction to the World Wide Web as a source of information, and evaluating sites for educational content.

   
   http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~pstohrer/eval.html

» Evaluating World Wide Web Sites
   Instructions for completing a form assessing authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage.

   
   http://www.iona.edu/library/research/wwweval.htm

» Evaluating the Quality of Information on the Internet
   Checklists, instructions, tools and links to legal and factual research.

   
   http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/

» Evaluating the Quality of Web Sites
   Short page covering some basic points: Who is responsible? Is the URL appropriate? Who do they link to? Who links to them? Use common sense.

   
   http://www.life.uiuc.edu/edtech/evaluate.html

» Evaluation of Information Sources
   Contains pointers to criteria for evaluating information resources, particularly those on the Internet.

   
   http://www.vuw.ac.nz/staff/alastair_smith/evaln/evaln.htm

» Exemplary Practices in Teaching Web Evaluation
   Presentation given in 1998. Covers why evaluation of web resources is necessary, and gives criteria for scrutinizing web materials. Provides links to many related and supporting sites.

   
   http://lib.nmsu.edu/staff/susabeck/checs98.html

» Five Criteria For Evaluating Web Pages
   Discusses accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage.

   
   http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/webcrit.html

» Getting It Right: Verifying Sources on the Net
   LLRX.com article providing strategies and tools to assist in evaluating Website content.

   
   http://www.llrx.com/features/verifying.htm

» How To Evaluate A Web Site
   Checklists and sample sites, from LLRX.com.

   
   http://www.llrx.com/features/webeval.htm

» ISI Web Site Selection Criteria
   Thomson ISI sells a product called "Current Web Contents" which includes, in part, a premium collection of evaluated scholarly Web sites. This is how sites are selected for inclusion, and how they're evaluated.

   
   http://scientific.thomson.com/free/essays/selectionofmaterial/cwc-criteria/

» Information Quality
   Sections on gaining full access to materials which may be censored, understanding how to search, and evaluating what is found using the internet.

   
   http://ils.unc.edu/~fents/310/

» Information Quality WWW Virtual Library - Evaluation of Information Sources
   Large annotated and hyperlinked list of pointers to criteria for evaluating information resources, particularly those on the Internet. Maintained by Alastair Smith.

   
   http://www2.vuw.ac.nz/staff/alastair_smith/evaln/evaln.htm

» Internet Detective
   A free online tutorial designed to help students develop the critical thinking required for their Internet research, produced by the University of Bristol and Manchester Metropolitan University.

   
   http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/

» Johns Hopkins University Library - Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
   Detailed list of considerations.

   
   http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/

» Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Critical Evaluation Surveys
   A series of website evaluation surveys, one each at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels, plus many links of website evaluation.

   
   http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html

» Librarians' Index to the Internet - Selection Criteria
   Describes how sites are chosen for listing in lii.org.

   
   http://lii.org/search/file/pubcriteria

» Misinformation Through the Internet
   2001 academic conference proceedings; includes summaries (abstracts) of the accepted papers.

   
   http://www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/conferences/ccsrconf/ethicomp2001/abstracts/vedder.html

» Producing Quality Web Page Content
   Article explains how to give a web page content the mark of quality. Conversely, it helps point out what to look for in a quality site.

   
   http://www.walthowe.com/pubweb/qcontent/qcontent.html

» Publishers Wanted, No Experience Necessary: Information Quality on the Web
   Research librarian elaborates on five characteristics of superior web sites: timeliness, expediency, accuracy, objectivity, and authenticity

   
   http://www.llrx.com/columns/quality.htm

» Research Edge: Evaluate Information
   Tutorial from the University of Wollongong Library.

   
   http://www.library.uow.edu.au/helptraining/tutorials/resedge/evaluate.html

» Resource Evaluation for BIOME
   Detailed criteria used for selecting resources for this UK guide to biomedical information.

   
   http://biome.ac.uk/guidelines/eval/

» Searchpath: WNEC Library Tutorial
   Tutorial to help learn how to find and critically evaluate information resources. Sponsored by Western Michigan University Libraries.

   
   http://mars.wnec.edu/~infolit/searchpath/

» Six Quests for The Electronic Grail: Current Approaches to Information Quality in WWW Resources
   T. Matthew Ciolek reviews programming, procedural, structuring, bibliographical, evaluative and finally, organisational approaches to the quality of online information.

   
   http://www.ciolek.com/PAPERS/six-quests1996.html

» Studies in Media and Information Literacy Education - The problem of online misinformation and the role of schools
   "Amid all the excellent free information that is available online, there are many damagingly false assertions and misleading arguments... Some prominent individuals and institutions are calling for schools to prepare young people to identify reliable

   
   http://www.utpjournals.com/simile/issue17/levine.html

» T is for Thinking
   Web site evaluation guide with resources and links.

   
   http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html

» Teaching Zack to Think
   Article written by Alan November for the September 1998 High School Principal Magazine.

   
   http://www.anovember.com/articles/zack.html

» Testing the Surf: Criteria for Evaluating Internet Information Resources
   Refereed article written by Alastair Smith which surveys criteria published on the Web and in the print literature and proposes a set of criteria (a toolbox) that can be used by librarians and users to evaluate Internet information sources.

   
   http://info.lib.uh.edu/pr/v8/n3/smit8n3.html

» The Good, The Bad And The Useless: Evaluating Internet Resources
   Judith Edwards discusses three main aspects in the evaluation of Web resources; access, quality, and ease of use.

   
   http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue16/digital/

» The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
   Contains evaluation criteria with examples that can be used by educators. Gives suggestions for successful Internet assignments.

   
   http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html

» The Internet Guide to Construction of Quality Online Resources
   By Dr. T.Matthew Ciolek. Online resources relevant for evaluation, development and administration of high quality factual/scholarly networked information systems.

   
   http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-InfoQuality.html

» The Quality Information Checklist
   Eight ways of checking information on web sites.

   
   http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm

» The Web Credibility Project
   Part of the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, their goal is to understand what leads people to believe what they find on the Web. With information, papers, and related links.

   
   http://credibility.stanford.edu/

» Thinking Critically About Research Sources
   Lesson plan to help teachers and students with critical thinking and processing information found on websites.

   
   http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/research/

» Tips for Evaluating Websites (Ohio ESL)
   A few search techniques, using engines like Google, that you can use to check the authority of a website.

   
   http://www.ohiou.edu/esl/help/evalTips.html

» UBC Library - Criteria for Evaluating Internet Resources
   Checklist with "So What?" buttons to clarify why you'd want to have an answer to the various questions.

   
   http://www.library.ubc.ca/home/evaluating/

» University of Alberta Libraries - Critical Evaluation of Resources on the Internet
   Bulleted list of questions to review while checking out a website.

   
   http://www.library.ualberta.ca/guides/criticalevaluation/

» Using a Web Site With Your Classes
   Looks at what teachers need consider before sharing a web site with students in their classrooms.

   
   http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/web_classes/

» WWW Cyberguides
   Created by a library media specialist, contains guides for rating the curriculum content and graphic design of web sites.

   
   http://www.cyberbee.com/guides.html

» Web Awareness Canada
   Introduction to a program which provides resources about Internet Literacy for teachers, parents and librarians.

   
   http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/special_initiatives/web_awareness/index.cfm

» Web Page Evaluation Checklist
   PDF document intended to be printed to use as a quick tool for page evaluation. [PDF]

   
   http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/EvalForm.pdf

» Web Page Evaluation Worksheet
   Checklist used to grade web sites.

   
   http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/evaluating_web.htm

» Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet
   [Book review.] Web of Deception offers an exposé of the types of chicanery, fraud and misinformation that's all over the Internet and suggests what to do if you get stung by it.

   
   http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2160991

» Web-Based Information in the Context of Higher Education
   Scholarly paper argues that higher education students are naïve about the problem of misinformation, believe they can identify it, and do not make extra effort to check the sources of their information. Discusses sources and causes of misinformation an [PDF]

   
   http://www.emeraldinsight.com/pdfs/17308cb2.pdf

» Webserch - Evaluate Web Resources
   Guide to assessing the source, the content, and the format of websites, the primary considerations being accuracy, authority, coverage, currency and objectivity. Checklists in HTML and pdf format available.

   
   http://www.clubi.ie/webserch/resources/

» Yahooligans! - Evaluating Web Sites
   Guide to evaluating sites by the "Four A's" - Accessible, Accurate, Appropriate, and Appealing.

   
   http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/tg/evaluatingwebsites.html