The majority of online documents are created independently without the benefit of editorial oversight or fact checking. Anyone can create a website. Therefore, you are responsible for ensuring that any website you use for your research contains reliable information.
Keep in mind that databases you access through UM Libraries, such as Academic Search Premier and One Search, are professionally produced and contain articles which have been scrutinized thoroughly.
You may find materials from library databases to be more accurate and trustworthy than those found online via Google or other search engines. Subscription database are more select in the material they include.
I. Look carefully at the website you are considering and answer these questions:
Date
· Is the site up-to-date?
· Can you easily tell when it was published?
Coverage
· How relevant is the site to your research topic? Can you find more relevant material?
· Is the topic covered in-depth enough for your needs?
Authority
· Can you identify the author or publisher?
· How reputable is the author’s work on the topic?
Objectivity
· Is the author trying to sway opinion?
· Is there only one opinion present in the page?
· How does the information presented compare to other sources you’ve reviewed?
· Does the author cite where he/she got the information?
Accuracy
· Are the facts clearly presented and easily understood?
· Can you find factual errors or discrepancies on the page?
II. Consider the URL when assessing websites.
Look at the first section of the website’s URL. What are the last three letters you see? Most likely, they are one of the following:
.com Originally for commercial sites, however, the .com is now the most common domain and represents many different types of websites.
.edu Educational (university) sites. In addition to official publication of the institutions, individual students and professors can have their own personal pages under this domain, so you should still check the facts to ensure accuracy.
.gov State or federal governmental agencies.
.org Organizational sites. Many of these sites may have some kind of bias, check the information presented for accuracy.
III. Checklist for Evaluating Web Sites
a. Who is the author of the website?
___I couldn’t tell.
___The author is:
b. Does the author have any authority or background on the subject?
___ Yes
___ No
c. What is the purpose of the web page or site? Check all that apply:
___ A personal web page.
___ A company or organization website.
___ A forum for educational/public service information.
___ For entertainment.
___ An advertisement or electronic commerce.
___ A forum for ideas, opinions or points of view.
___ Other? Please explain:
d. What does the website provide? Check one:
___ Balanced, objective or factual information.
___ Biased, subjective or opinionated statements.
Are the arguments well-supported? ____ Yes ____ No
___ Both objective and subjective information.
___ I couldn’t tell.
___ Other? Explain?
e. When was the website last revised, modified or updated?
___ I couldn’t tell.
___ It was updated:
f. Is currency important to the type of information available on this website?
___ Yes. Please explain:
___ No. Please explain:
Adapted from University of Maryland Libraries. (2012). Evaluating websites: A checklist. Retrieved from http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/webcheck.html
