Quick Checklist

The greater number of questions that can be answered with a YES, the more likely the site has reliable/accurate content.

Authority

• Is it clear what person, organization, or institution is sponsoring the site?
• Are the credentials or qualifications of the individual or organization provided?
• Is contact information given - including name, email, phone number and address?
• Can you verify the legitimacy of the sponsor through printed sources?

Objectivity

• Does the author give his or her purpose for providing the information?
• Does the author have an agenda or bias? (This may be subtle.)
• Does the site blend information with advertising?
• Are editorials or opinion pieces labeled as such?

Accuracy

• Is the intended audience stated?
• Can factual content be verified from another source? Are citations given?
• Does the text follow standard rules of grammar and spelling?

Currency

• Is there a date of publication or revision? Is it current?
• Are links up-to-date?

Coverage

• Is it clear what topics the page plans to address?
• Does the page succeed at addressing these topics?
• Has important information been left out?

Domain Clues

The Domain name within the website's Uniform Resource Locator (URL) can provide clues to the reliability or possible bias of a website. The URL can be found in the "Address" bar in your browser. The most commonly used domains are:

For an in-depth look at evaluating internet sources, see: Alexander, Jan and Marsha Tate. Evaluating Web Resources. Available online: http://www.widener.edu/about/campus_resources/wolfgram_library/evaluate

The Desire Project. The Internet Detective an interactive tutorial on evaluating the quality of Internet resources. Available online: http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/