Criteria in Evaluating Websites

Criteria in Evaluating
Sources  Accurate info, limited
advertising
Objectivity  Not much advertising
 Why was it written and for
whom?
 TITLE, TABLE OF
CONTENTS,
Relevance ABSTRACT, INTRO of  Credentials of the author +
the text have sense of domain is preferred
 Where was the document
its content Authority published (URL)?
 Who is the webmaster and is it
separate from the author?

 Current & updated regularly

 Author’s Name  How many dead links?
 Are the links current or updated
 Author’s Education & Currency regularly?
Background  Is info outdated?
Authority  Contact info of author  When was it published?
 Peer Reviewed
 Citations
 Other Publications  You can view info properly
 Does it require SPECIAL
SOFTWARE to view info?
 Is it free or there’s a fee to
obtain info?
 Is there an info for text only, or
Coverage
 Should not be older frames, or a suggested browser
Currency than 5 years to ensure for better viewing?
validity of info  Do the links complement the
documents’ theme?
 Is their image & text balance?
 Were citations correct?
 The tone or attitude of
Contents/ the author towards
SUBJECT & WRITING  Author & Instituition that
Accuracy of published the page + contact
STYLE
Info.  Verify findings with details (Author should provide
multiple sources EMAIL, CONTACT
Accuracy ADDRESS/NUMBER)
 Distinction between author &
webmaster
 Book, academic
journal, news source,
etc.
Location
 Reputable
sites: .gov, .org, .net, .e
du
STYLE GUIDES
APA  Psychology  Author (Year)
(The Publication  Education  Page numbers
Manual of  HRM  (.) after
American  Business citation
Psychological  Economics  2 authors = &
Association)  Social Sciences  3-5 authors “,”
then et al.
 Direct Quote
of less than 40
words:
 include
page no.
 Direct Quote
more than 40
words:
 ½ indent
left margin. No
quotation
marks, page
number
required.
MLA  Literature  “Works Cited”
(Modern  Arts  first thing cited
Language  humanities = first thing on
Association) works cited
 Author-Page
Method
(Dulalia 16)
(16)
 Absence of
comma “,” in
in text
 1-3 authors:
“and”
 3-5 authors: all
names (,) or
“et al.”
 No author =
shortened title
of work
(Shortened
Title 54)
IEEE  Engineering
(Institute of
Electrical &
Electronic
Engineers)
AMA  Medicine
(American  Health
Medical sciences
Association  Sciences
Manual of Style)  Natural
sciences
Chicago  Reference
books
 Non-
academic
(news,
magazines,
journals,
etc.)