MCOM 447 Research Guide: Websites

The following guidelines are important to consider when evaluating web sites:

Authority:

• Is it clear who is responsible for the web page?
• Is there a way of verifying the page’s sponsor? (An email address is not enough).
• Is it clear who wrote the material?  Are their credentials clearly stated?
• If the material is copyrighted, is the name of the copyright holder given?

Accuracy:

• Are the sources for any factual information clearly cited for verification?
• Is the information clear of blatant grammatical, spelling and/or other typographical errors?
• If there are graphs or charts are they clearly labeled?  Is source information given?

Objectivity:

• What is the purpose of providing the information?  (Public service, profit, or persuasion)
• Is the information free of advertising?
• If there is advertising is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?

Currency:

• Are there dates on the page indicating when it was written?  When it was last revised? 
• Are there indications that the material is kept current?

Coverage:

• Is there an indication that the page is complete and not still under construction?
• If there is a print equivalent, does the page state if the entire work is on the web or only parts of it?

(These criteria based on checklist in the book Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web by Jan Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate)