SOURCE EVALUATION ABCs
Authority - Is the website or article from an authoritative source? Check "About Us" and/or the professional affiliation of the autho
Bias / objectivity - Is the website trying to sell you goods or an idea, or does it attempt to be objective?
Currency - Is the information current? Check the website date
Although excellent .org, .com, .net sites exist, try limiting the domain name to .gov or .edu -- or use Google Scholar.
As a class, we'll choose a website to evaluate in terms of its Authority and Objectivity
In addition to the ABCs above, there are other characteristics, such as how relevant it is to your information need, whether it's accurate or has glaring errors, and its presentation of the information (is it professional or amateurish?). You may use these metrics to evaluate Web sites and other possible sources.
Authority: Who wrote/created the content on this website/item? If it is a person, what is their expertise and/or education? If it is an organization, what is the expertise of the individuals who run the organization, and what is the purpose of the organization? Is there a link to more information about the organization, agency, company or institution?
Objectivity: Is there an obvious bias on this website? Does this person/organization have an agenda? Are they trying to sell you a product or convince you of an idea? If so, what is the product/idea, and how is the bias itself important to your research?
Currency: When was the information created?
Relevance: Exactly what information on the website is relevant to your research needs? What is the purpose of the web page/item? (Is it supposed to be informative? entertaining? factual?) Who is the site’s / item's target audience? (adults, children, college students, etc.)?
Accuracy: Is the text well-written and grammatically correct? Are there any glaring factual or spelling errors? Does the text or infographic refer to one or more sources? Can you find the original sources and determine if the interpretation of them is accurate?
Presentation: Does the website have a professional look and feel? Did you find many "dead" links? Have some expired (which also speaks to Currency) or moved? (Don't assume that the linked sites are the best available, either. Be sure to ask the same questions of those sites!)