Determining credibility is an extremely important component to consider when acquiring information from the Internet. Basic factors to contemplate include:
- Intent of the site: Is there a hidden agenda? Is something being sold? Is the information biased?
- Background of the Person/Organization: Does this person/organization provide background information? Is there a way to contact the webmaster for further information?
- Age of the Site: How old is the site? When was it last updated? Has it been abandoned?
- Relevant Content: Is the content useful in nature? Is the site free from typographical errors?
- Design and Stability: Is the site easy to navigate through? Is the source of information stable? Was the site designed in such a way as to assist in the acquisition of information?
Back to Infosec Resources
- Criteria for Evaluation of Internet Information Resources
This site based out of New Zealand provides an in-depth look at several critical questions to ask to determine the credibility of a website.
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/index.htm - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Cyber Guide for Content Evaluation
Provides an excellent rubric for teachers to use to evaluate the potential effectiveness of a site within their classroom.
http://www.cyberbee.com/guides.html - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Evaluating Information on the Internet
This site contains an article written by D. Scott Brandt, a Purdue University Technology Training Librarian. It offers several helpful techniques of acquiring and assessing information on the Internet.
http://thorplus.lib.purdue.edu/~techman/evaluate.htm - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Evaluation Rubrics for Websites
This K-12 based site provides 3 levels of rubrics or checklists that students can use to verify the legitimacy of a site's content.
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/online/eval.htm - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Finding Information on the Internet: A TUTORIAL.
A great resource for teaching the basics of the Internet and techniques on successful searching. Based out of University of California, Berkeley.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Fin... - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Hoax? You Decide
This site contains an excellent lesson plan for middle/high school students focusing upon the process of determining the validity of the website.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/med/class/teamed2/grasint... - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Site Evaluation
This is a comprehensive list of information, articles, and references compiled by Kathy Schrock, an internationally renowned educational technology specialist.
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Media Awareness Network
This site provides an in-depth discussion of a number of methods to use when critiquing the legitimacy of a site. It also has a helpful discussion of the "parts" of a URL or web address.
http://www.reseau-medias.ca/eng/webaware/tipsheets/w5.htm - Added Jan 28, 2003 - The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly, Why it's Good to Evaluate
This website, based out of New Mexico State University, provides a very simplified approach to site evaluation.
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Tips for Evaluating a WWW Site
This University of Florida website pinpoints several helpful tips for determining the value of a site on the WWW.
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/hss/ref/tips.html - Added Jan 28, 2003 - Virtual Chase: Evaluating the Quality of Internet Resources
Although this site has been designed for legal professionals, it is a very well-done compilation of critical evaluation information to use when examining Internet sites.
http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/index.html - Added Jan 28, 2003 - What Makes a Website Great?
This site, sponsored by the American Library Association, pinpoints several criteria to consider when evaluating the content of a website.
http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/select.html - Added Jan 28, 2003
