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Judging
Quality on the Web
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Even after refining a query in a search engine, a researcher often retrieves a huge number of Web sites. It is essential to know how to evaluate Web sites for the same reasons you would evaluate a periodical article or a book: to ascertain whether you can rely on the information, to identify its inherent biases or limitations, and to see how or whether it fits into your overall research strategy.
A good (useful, reliable) Web site:
1. Clearly states the author and/or organizational source of the information
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Your task:
- Consider the qualifications, other works, and organizational affiliation of the author
- Look up the organization which produced the Web site (if it's unfamiliar) to identify its credentials, viewpoint, or agenda
- If the source is an E-journal, discover whether it is refereed (reviewed by scholars before it is accepted for publication)
- In Web sites such as Wikipedia that allow readers to edit the text, the authors cannot be fully ascertained and so can't be investigated or assumed to be scholars in the field. Use the links and bibliographies, but choose to rely on and cite information from more authoritative Web sites, books, and articles.
2. Clearly states the date the material was written and the date the site was last revised
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Your task:
- If the information is not current enough for your purposes or the date is not given, look elsewhere
3. Provides accurate data whose parameters are clearly defined
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Your task:
- Compare the data found on the Web site with data found in other sources (encyclopedias, reference books, articles, etc.) for accuracy, completeness, recency
- Ask a librarian if there are other important sources to check for this information
4. Provides the type and level of information you need
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Your task:
- Decide whether the level of detail and comprehensiveness, the treatment of the topic (e.g., scholarly or popular), and the graphics or other features are acceptable
- If the site does not provide the depth of coverage you need, look elsewhere
5. Keeps bias to a minimum, and clearly indicates point of view
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Your task:
- Be aware that producing a Web page does not require the checking and review that publishing a scholarly book requires; you might have retrieved nothing but someone's personal opinion on the topic
- The appealing graphics can distract you from noticing even overt bias, so heighten your skepticism and examine the evidence (source, date, accuracy, level, links)
6. Provides live links to related high quality Web sites
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Your task:
- Click on several of the links provided to see if they are active (or if they give an "error" message indicating the links are not being maintained) and to see if they are useful
- Check to see if the criteria are stated for selecting the links
7. In the case of commercial sites, keeps advertising separate from content, and does not let advertisers determine content
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Your task:
- Look at the Web address: Sites that are commercial have .com in their addresses and might have advertising or offer to sell something. The .com suffix is also found in news sites (e.g., newspapers, TV networks) and personal pages (sites created by individuals who have purchased a domain name but who may or may not have a commercial or institutional affiliation)
8. Is clearly organized and designed for ease of use
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Your task:
- Move around the page to see if its organization makes sense and it is easy to return to the top or to the sections you need
- Decide whether the graphics enhance the content or detract from it
Prepared by Patti S. Caravello
UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library
Reference & Instructional Services Department
Revised February 2008