How to Evaluate a Website
Four Key Questions to Judge if Online Information is Reliable
Jun 12, 2009
It’s so easy to create a website that almost anyone can do it. Even young children in elementary school put reports online. When doing research on a topic, or when writing a report, if online resources are used, they must be reliable and accurate. Even if a person is simply searching for an answer to a question, dependability of that information is critical.
How to Evaluate Information Found Online
There are several things that contribute to the credibility of a web page. Four key issues are listed here.
- What are the author’s credentials, experience, and sources?
- How current is the website or how recently was it updated?
- Is there a corporation or outside interest backing the website? If so, the information may be biased.
- What is the URL or web address? It should indicate a reliable home page or source page.
These four key questions may lead to further questions that delve deeper into the evaluation of the website. The questions are explained in more detail below.
Who is the Author of the Online Information?
The website should state who the author is and give contact information. If the author is an expert in the field, or has a degree related to the information, it’s more likely that the website is reliable. The author information should be given in the “Who We Are” or “About Us” section.
If the author information is missing, the website cannot be considered reliable. Likewise, if the information is on a scholarly topic, but it’s written by a junior high school student, then it’s best to look for another site for research.
How Current is the Web Resource?
For topics that are changing and evolving, such as science, politics, and other fields, the website should be updated regularly. It may be a website that has been online for several years, but the information should be current. Dates showing when each article or section was written should be available.
If statistics or data are being quoted on the site, they should be fairly recent. If a web resource has been neglected and not revised in quite some time, it may be that the authors are no longer maintaining it, and the material is outdated.
Who is the Developer or Promoter of the Website?
Many commercial websites are designed to look like information portals, yet they are actually promoting a product. If the URL is advertised in a television or magazine ad, it may have commercial backing.
The tone of the articles are important as well. This gives an indication of who the intended audience may be. Sometimes entertainment websites only give snippets of information, which may change the interpretation of what is written. When compiling research facts, an opinionated site, a gossip site, or a chatty blog are sources to avoid.
When using a website sponsored by a newspaper or media agency, reviewing the tips in How to Analyze the News may prove helpful. Again, checking the sources of the news information helps to ensure accuracy.
What is the URL or Web Address?
If a site is hosted by a university or research laboratory, the information is more likely to be dependable. This information may be visible within the URL, such as in the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, a program researching how computers affect people’s beliefs and behaviors. A simple search of the WHOIS database can give this information if it is not readily apparent from the URL.
All in all, finding reliable and accurate information online is important when doing any type of research, or even when searching for an answer to a question. Asking these four key questions is the beginning to a website evaluation.
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