skip navigation
 

Woman and AIDS logoEvaluation Practice

Web page criteria

 

First read Web Page Eval

Then examine the three sources given below and apply the evaluation criteria.

 

 

 

 

Practice

Evaluate Three Resources

 

 

 

Evaluate each of the following websites using the criteria on the previous page.

Click on one link at a time. (Open side by side browser windows.) Evaluate the page content for: Coverage, Authority, Objectivity, Accuracy and Currency .

  1. Click on link 1 and evaluate if for the following criteria.
  2. Click on link 2 and evaluate if for the following criteria.
  3. Click on link 3 and evaluate if for the following criteria.

 

1 COVERAGE down arrow Link 1 Link 2 Link 3
  • Relevant
    Do the topics covered include your topic? Does the page cover a variety of (too many) topics or is it focused on one relevant topic?
  • Adequate
    Does the page information adequately cover your topic: is it too general or too detailed?
  • Audience appropriate
    Is the content intended for children, scholars, general public? Was the page written to inform, educate, entertain (parody).
    Primary or secondary account (original or regurgitated?)
    Does the page offer original (primary) information not covered elsewhere? Is this page a synthesis of other people's (secondary) accounts / writings? Is this the best page to cite, or does another page contain/summarize this information and present it in a better way








  		     
2  AUTHORITY  Link 1 Link 2 Link 3
  • Author of site
    Is there an author named on the page? Is the author qualified?
    If not, then . . .
  • Sponsor of site
    Is there a sponsor? Is the sponsor qualified? (i.e. Is there an "about us" or "our mission" link?)
    If not, then . . .
  • Link or contact Information
    Is the author or sponsor's name, e-mail, postal address listed?
    If not, then . . .
  • Clues to page's origin Is there any other way to determine the page's author(s)? (header, footer, URL or domain name?








 

     
3 OBJECTIVITY  Link 1 Link 2 Link 3
  • Bias
    Does the page/site show minimal signs of bias: political, ideological, personal, or cultural?
  • Intent
    Does the page present factual information or is it designed to sway opinion?
  • Influence
    If the site is sponsored or underwritten by advertising, is the writing free of bias supporting the sponsor?








 

     
4 ACCURACY  Link 1 Link 2 Link 3
  • Factual
    Does the author give factual information?
  • Documented / well-researched
    Does the author cite his/her sources? Is the research methodology explained?
  • Subject to verification
    Can the information be verified by additional resources in print on on the Web?
  • Corroborated
    Are links and resource citations included (possibly using MLA citation format.)
  • Collaborative
    Is a committee or editor named who reviews the content or verifies facts








 

     
5 CURRENCY  Link 1 Link 2 Link 3
  • Date-stamped
    Is there a "last updated" notation or evidence of recent changes?
    If not, then . . .
  • Seemingly current
    Does the information seem current to you? Do news events, conference events or any bits information lead you to believe the page has been updated recently?
    If not, then . . .
  • Linked currently
    Are the links still working? Do pages turn up with "this site has moved" or "page not found"








 

     
     

 

 

 

Resources

Sample evaluations forms can be found on these university web pages:

  1. Barker, Joe. "Web Page Evaluation Worksheet. UC-Berkeley Teaching Library." Web 2002. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/EvalForm.pdf 24 Jul 2010
  2. Universities Libraries at Virginia Tech, "Bibliography on Evaluating Web Information." Web. 2010. http://www.lib.vt.edu/instruct/evaluate   24 Jul 2010