WEBSITE EVALUATION CHECKLIST

TITLE OF THE WEBSITE: 10 Reasons to Avoid GMOs

URL: h ps://responsibletechnology.org/10-reasons-to-avoid-gmos/

DATE: n/a

AUTHORITY
Tips: To help determine the author’s exper se, look at the links: “About Us,” “FAQ,” “Background,” or
“Biography.”
Is it clear who the Author of the website is? ❑ Y ❑ N
Has the author provided contact informa on? (i.e. name, email, ❑ Y ❑ N
phone number, or address)
If there is no personal author, is a publisher or ins tu on ❑ Y ❑ N
provided along with contact informa on?
Does the individual or organiza on list all of their quali ca ons ❑ Y ❑ N
or creden als?

PURPOSE

Tips: Looking at the URL of the site will help you determine its purpose. Judge whether the website
is geared to a scholarly or non-professional audience.

Does the website have an .edu, .org, or .gov ending in its URL? ❑ Y ❑ N
Does the website avoid trying to persuade or sell something? ❑ Y ❑N
Is the informa on on the site relevant to your needs? ❑ Y ❑ N

OBJECTIVITY

Tips: Look for objec ve sites that present informa on with a minimum bias and without the inten on
to persuade. Determine the aim of the author or organiza on publishing the site.

Does the website avoid adver sing that may be a con ict ❑ Y ❑ N
of interest with the content?
If an issue is covered, are both sides presented? ❑ Y ❑ N
Do you trust the author or organiza on that has created the website? ❑ Y ❑ N
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ACCURACY

Tips: Since anyone can publish a website you need to be able to iden fy the author and access
contact informa on. Make sure that the informa on in the website is accurate and veri able.
Based on the reading you have already done on the Y ! N
subject, does the informa on on the site seem accurate?

Is factual informa on referenced in footnotes or a bibliography? ❑ Y ! N

Are there few grammar and spelling mistakes? ❑ Y ! N

If there are links to other pages, are they to reliable sources? ! Y ❑ N

CURRENCY

Tips: Keep in mind that factual or sta s cal informa on that is not dated is no be er than
anonymous informa on. Check the top or bo om of a web page to look for the crea on date or
revision date.

Is the date the site was created provided? ❑ Y ! N

Is there a date that shows when the site was last updated? ❑ Y ! N
Does the site contain “broken” links? ❑ Y ! N

EVALUATION SUMMARY
There is a definite opinion, however there is no actual evidence. There are no resources, and it feels like
the author is just trying to boast about himself and sell books rather than give quality information that can
be used by students.
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 TITLE OF THE WEBSITE: The Science of GMOs

URL: h ps://ag.purdue.edu/GMOs/Pages/The-Science-of-GMOs.aspx

DATE: Feb 6th, 2024

AUTHORITY
Tips: To help determine the author’s exper se, look at the links: “About Us,” “FAQ,” “Background,” or
“Biography.”
Is it clear who the Author of the website is? ❑ Y ❑ N
Has the author provided contact informa on? (i.e. name, email, ❑ Y ❑ N
phone number, or address)
If there is no personal author, is a publisher or ins tu on ❑ Y ❑ N
provided along with contact informa on?
Does the individual or organiza on list all of their quali ca ons ❑ Y ❑ N
or creden als?

PURPOSE

Tips: Looking at the URL of the site will help you determine its purpose. Judge whether the website
is geared to a scholarly or non-professional audience.

Does the website have an .edu, .org, or .gov ending in its URL? ❑ Y ❑ N
Does the website avoid trying to persuade or sell something? ❑ Y ❑ N Is
the informa on on the site relevant to your needs? ❑ Y ❑ N

OBJECTIVITY

Tips: Look for objec ve sites that present informa on with a minimum bias and without the inten on
to persuade. Determine the aim of the author or organiza on publishing the site.

Does the website avoid adver sing that may be a con ict ❑ Y ❑ N
of interest with the content?
If an issue is covered, are both sides presented? ❑ Y ❑ N
Do you trust the author or organiza on that has created the website? ❑ Y ❑ N
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ACCURACY

Tips: Since anyone can publish a website you need to be able to iden fy the author and access
contact informa on. Make sure that the informa on in the website is accurate and veri able.
Based on the reading you have already done on the ! Y ❑ N
subject, does the informa on on the site seem accurate?

Is factual informa on referenced in footnotes or a bibliography? ! Y ❑ N

Are there few grammar and spelling mistakes? ❑ Y ! N

If there are links to other pages, are they to reliable sources? ! Y ❑ N

CURRENCY

Tips: Keep in mind that factual or sta s cal informa on that is not dated is no be er than
anonymous informa on. Check the top or bo om of a web page to look for the crea on date or
revision date.

Is the date the site was created provided? ! Y ❑ N

Is there a date that shows when the site was last updated? ❑ Y ! N
Does the site contain “broken” links? ❑ Y ! N

EVALUATION SUMMARY
I would say this website is more valid since it is from a trustworthy website and is linked to other
trustworthy sources such as Harvard. There are additional resources to look at and the article is trying to
give you facts rather than persuade you to feel a certain way.
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