EVALUATING WEB PAGES

* Be skeptical when evaluating any information source.

* This is especially true for World Wide Web pages, because there is no quality control.

* Anyone can put information on the web.

Consider these factors when evaluating a source:

Credibility
Who is the author? Are any credentials given? Who is the publisher? If you can't tell or if there isn't any clear information, be suspicious. For web sites, you often have to check the home page or the "About Us" page to find who is behind a source.

Point of View or Bias
There's nothing wrong with a source having a point of view, but you need to be aware of it so you can investigate the other sides. Example: Information on gun control from the National Rifle Association.

Timeliness
Think about your topic and how important recent information is to it. For an art history project, it probably isn't very important. For a paper on genetic engineering, it is very important.

Accuracy
This is the ultimate point. But you may not know enough about a topic to judge. Look for solid evidence, such as research studies and statistics. Is there a bibliography or references to other sources the author used? These indicate the information is based on research rather than just opinion.