Westfield State University Ely Library
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly:
or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources*
Evaluation Criteria

For original source, see http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
||Accuracy | Authority | Objectivity | Currency | Coverage ||

I. Accuracy
  • Is the information reliable and error-free?
  • Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?

    • Rationale
      1. Anyone can publish anything on the Web
      2. Unlike traditional print resources, web resources rarely have editors or fact-checkers
      3. Currently, no web standards exist to ensure accuracy

    II. Authority

  • Is there an author? Is the page signed?
  • Is the author qualified? An expert?
  • Is there a link to information about the author or the sponsor?
  • Is the sponsor of the page reputable? How reputable?
  • If the page includes neither a signature nor indicates a sponsor, is there any other way to determine its origin?

    • Rationale
      1. See number 1 above
      2. It's often hard to determine a web page's authorship
      3. Even if a page is signed, qualifications aren't usually given
      4. Sponsorship isn't usually indicated

    III. Objectivity

      1. Frequently the goals of the sponsors/authors aren't clearly stated.
      2. Often the Web serves as a virtual "Hyde Park Corner", a soapbox.

    IV. Currency

  • Is the page dated?
  • If so, when was the last update?
  • How current are the links? Have some expired or moved?

    • Rationale
      1. Publication or revision dates not always provided.
      2. If a date is provided, it may have various meanings. For example,
    It may indicate when the material was first written
    It may indicate when the material was first placed on the Web
    It may indicate when the material was last revised

    V. Coverage

  • What topics are covered?
  • What does this page offer that is not found elsewhere?
  • What is its intrinsic value?
  • How in-depth is the material?

    • Rationale
      1. Web coverage often differs from print coverage
      2. Frequently, it's difficult to determine the extent of coverage
      3. Sometimes web information is just-for-fun or outright silliness

    *Revised version of  web site originally created by Susan E. Beck, Instruction Coordinator New Mexico State University Library. Original (see below) created in July, 1997 for the Institute for Technology-Assisted Learning, at the New Mexico State University

    Beck, Susan.  "Evaluation Criteria." The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources.  1997.  http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
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    Page maintained by Corinne Ebbs
    Last checked June 20, 2006