Critical Evaluation Sheet for Internet Resources

Information about the resource:

Print out the first page of the site, attach it to this sheet, and answer the following questions:

 How did you find this site? (circle the correct response)

Library Web Page Research Guide Google

A. Look at the URL

 What is the URL?

____________________________________________________________________

 What type of domain is it? (circle one)

.com .org .net .edu .gov .us .non-US ___________ other _________

 Who published it? (circle one response)

 An institution (which one?)

_______________________________________________________

 The author?

 Can’t be sure

B. Look for bylines, credentials, “about”, and dates.

(Hint: Check the sidebar, bottom, truncate back the URL, or check the domain name owner.)

 Who wrote the page?

_____________________________________________________________

 What are his/her credentials?

____________________________________________________

 Is he/she a qualified authority on this subject?

___________________________________
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 How did you find out?
____________________________________________________________

 Does the author provide contact information? ________

(circle all that apply) e-mail address phone number

 Other evidence you notice on the page:

_____________________________________________

 When was the page produced?

_____________________________________________________

 When was it updated?

_____________________________________________________________

 How up-to-date are the links (if any) ?

______________________________________________

 Are there many dead links on the page?

____________________________________________

 Is the information on the page outdated?

___________________________________________

C. Look for authenticity, integrity, reliability, bias, and coverage

(Hint: Reliable domain owner? Footnotes or links citing reliable sources? Linked to elsewhere?)

 If factual or providing 2nd-hand information, is the source well documented? ___________

How can you be sure? ______________ or Not applicable ____________

 What is the page’s purpose? Why was it created? (Please circle all that apply)
 to Inform (Facts/ Data)
 to Explain
 to Persuade
 to Sell/Entice
 to Share/Disclose
 Other ____

 Who sponsors the page? Is there an “about us”? Ads?

_______________________________________________________

 Is the page a mask for advertising? (If so, the information might be biased) ______
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 Are there links to other viewpoints? ___________

 Is it balanced? _____________

 Is anything glaringly omitted? _____________

 Is this site appropriate for citation in your paper? _________________

 Is it a satire or a parody? ____________________________

 Is the site all images or a balance of text and images?

_______________________________

 Is there an option for text only, or frames, or a suggested browser for better viewing?
________

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Review:

Accuracy: If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way to
contact him/her and,

Authority: If your page lists the author’s credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu.gov. org.) and,

Objectivity: If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it si objective in
presenting the information, and,

Currency: If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (of
any) are also up-to-date…

…then you may have a found a quality web page that could be of value to your research!

Compiled by Joan Hopkins, Updated April 23, 2018