This brief exercise introduces you to some of the factors you should look for and keep in mind before using a web site for research purposes. Not all questions will be relevant for a particular web site. And some web sites may require more digging to determine authorship.

Choose one of the following web sites to use for this exercise.

Web site 1 | Web site 2 | Web site 3 | Web site 4 | Web site5 | Web site 6 | Web site 7 | Web site 8

Web site name and url:

Provide a brief description of the content of the web site.

Who is the author? What is their background? Do you consider him/her to be an expert in this topic?

Is there a sponsoring organization? Does the organization have a political agenda or viewpoint which might color their view of this topic?

Can you tell where the information on the site is coming from? Is the information cited?

Given your knowledge of this topic (and using your common sense), do you consider the information on this site, accurate?

Where could you find additional information to confirm the content of this site? Suggest other sources.

If you were writing a research paper on this topic, would this be a good site to use? Why or why not?

It is important evaluate web sites because (choose all that apply)
no one oversees accuracy on the web
anyone can create a webpage
the content on web sites change
anyone can be an expert on the web
most web sites are commercial in nature

Any questions?