Evaluating Websites
When checking a Web document, you must become familiar with the three main components: the header; the body; and the footer.
When evaluating a web site, check these basic points from within the site:- Author or contact person – usually located in the footer
- Link to local home page – usually located either in header or footer
- Institution – usually located in either header or footer
- Domain – the last segment of the "root" of the URL (e.g., http://www.lib.purdue.edu). Web sites are generated within one of several domains, the most prominent being:
- edu -- at or by an educational institution
- com -- by a commercial entity
- org -- by an organization
- gov -- by a government agency
- Date of creation or revision – usually located in footer
- Intended audience – determined by examining the body
- Purpose of the information – determined by examining the body
Unlike most print sources, information on the World Wide Web and the Internet is mostly unfiltered. There is little control over much of what is posted, so that virtually anyone can create a web site on any topic, whether or not they have training, education, or experience in the subject field.
Much of the information on the web is business-related or commercial: companies may be marketing or otherwise trying to convince consumers of the value of their products or services. Similarly, much of the information on the web is personal: personal web pages, e-mail messages, newsgroup postings, and the like may be retrieved in your search results. These sources are not necessarily invalid for your research, however caution must be used when selecting web or Internet sources.
Additional review may be necessary to determine quality and reliability. Consider additional questions and outside resources to fully evaluate a site.
