Name: ______________________________________ Homeroom:___________

Evaluating Web Sites

Before you use a website, look it over and consider the following areas and the questions they raise.

Authority: Who owns this site? Who is the author? Is it sponsored by an organization you know?
• Is the author or organization that created or owns the website clearly stated? Yes No
• Can you contact them by e-mail, snail mail and/or a telephone number listed on the site? Yes No
• Is the author an expert or an authority on the subject? Yes No
• Does he/she cite their sources? Yes No
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Accuracy: Does this site inspire confidence? Do you trust the info?
• Can you verify that info on the site is accurate and factual? Yes No
• Are facts backed up by sources? Yes No
• Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Yes No
• Is the site easy to use? Yes No
• Does it load quickly and completely? Yes No
• Are there too many unnecessary graphics or sound files cluttering the screen? Yes No
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Currency: Is the site up to date?
• Is there a copyright date on the page? Yes No
• When was the site last updated? Yes No
• Do the links work? Dead links indicate out of date connections or references. Yes No
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Objectivity: What is the purpose of the site?
• What is the end of the domain name? .edu, .org, .net, .com, .gov.
• Is the site published on Geocities, Angelfire or other free site? Yes No
• Are there ads? Shopping carts? Yes No
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Conclusion: How would you rate this site overall? A B C D F  
• Can you answer "Yes" to at least ten of the questions above? 
          Yes - this site is a keeper!  No - this site is not as reliable as you might like.
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Bibliography Info:
Author:__________________________________________________
Site Name: _______________________________________________
URL: _____________________________________________________
Date Visited: _____________________________________________

TGS Library 2003

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