Module 3: Finding and Evaluating Information on the World Wide Web

Tips for Evaluating Web Sites

A web site is a collection of web documents that are organized in some way. In addition to evaluating each individual document that appears on a site, it is also important to make some judgments about the web site as a whole.

In general, students using web sites for academic work should consider these criteria when evaluating a web site. We have also offered some questions that may help you to judge each criterion, and some methods you can use to try to find the answers.

Criteria to Consider

Ownership

Ownership refers not only to who owns a web site, but also to who controls what materials are offered from that site. The ownership or control of a web site can help you determine whether the materials on that site are credible and objective. But knowing a web site's owner does not "prove" materials' credibility or objectivity.

To help you judge the ownership of a web site, answer these questions:

• Who owns or controls this web site?
• What is their reputation?
• What is the connection between the site's owner and the materials on the site?

Identifying the owner or controller of a web site can give you some indication of the quality of the materials on that site. Also, the reputation of that owner--especially if it is a well-known entity that is likely to want to protect its reputation--is important to consider. Finally, you should also consider whether there is a logical connection between the owner and the materials on the site.

These strategies can help you learn about a web site's owner or controller, their reputation, and their connection to the site's materials.

Take apart the URL

The domain name of a web site's URL may give some indications about the site's owner. For instance, www.un.org is the main web site controlled by the United Nations (un), which is an organization (.org). Sites whose domains end in .org tend to be nonprofit (not commercial) organizations. Those whose domains end in .com (or, .co) tend to be commercial organizations or businesses. Educational institutions may use a domain ending in .edu.

There are other domain designations, including those for each country in the world. These may give some information about the owner of the site. But it is not possible to completely and accurately evaluate a web site based only on the domain designation.

The second element (reading from the right) in the domain name is often the name (or an abbreviation) of the entity that owns or controls the site. For instance, the United Nations uses un in its domain name, partly because it's shorter and partly because the organization is well-known by that abbreviation.

If the domain name does not clearly identify the owner of the web site, you should continue looking in other places for more information.

Look at the home page

The home page is the first page that appears when you go to the root of a web site. If you are already at one of the web pages on that site, you can get to the home page by either clicking on a link--if there is one--or by "truncating" the URL by deleting everything back to the first / to the right of the domain name. So, typing in or truncating a URL to http://www.nytimes.com/ will take you to the home page of the New York Times web site.

Some web site home pages include a statement about who owns or controls the site, and perhaps something about the purpose and contents of the site. In other cases, you may need to click on a link marked "About Us" or "Philosophy" or "Learn More." These pages--if they exist--are likely to provide more information.

Purpose

As with the purpose of an individual document on the web, the purpose of a web site is not always clearly stated. Users need to apply some judgment about the purpose of the site based upon what they can see from the site. These questions can help you determine a web site's purpose.

• What is the stated purpose of the web site (if this is available)?
• What does the web site primarily provide to visitors? (e.g., information, service, products)
• What do visitors to the web site provide to the owner? (e.g., read advertising, buy something, learn more about the owner)

Look at the home page

The home page of a web site usually gives very strong indications of the site's purpose. If, for instance, the site is intended to sell products, then a list of products (or services) will be prominently displayed on the home page. There may also be a link to "my shopping cart" or "my account," which users can use to view what they have purchased.

On the other hand, web sites that primarily offer information usually have many links to various subject areas or directories so that users can quickly find topics and subtopics of interest. There may also be a space where users can search, just within the web site, for the topics they are interested in.

Finally, some web sites with very specific purposes make those clear by putting almost nothing else on their home page. Web search engine home pages, for instance, often place the space where users type in the search term right in the middle of their home page, with just a few links (such as, Advanced Search, Tips). This makes it very clear what the purpose of this site is.

Read the links from the home page

Information about the site's purpose may be included in the pages "About Us" or "Who We Are" that are often linked from the home page.

Contents

The contents of a web site give many clues about the quality of that site. Unfortunately, on very large web sites, it is nearly impossible to look at all of the contents. So, users need to look at a sample of materials to make a reasonable judgment.

To help you judge the contents of a web site, answer these questions:

• How clearly labelled are the materials on the site? (e.g., do pages have titles, is authorship identified, are publication or revision dates given)
• How effectively is the site organized? (e.g., are related materials grouped together, can users find what they are seeking by applying logic)
• How effectively is the site delivered? (e.g., are there "bread crumbs" that show the path to each document, do the internal links to other pages work)

Answering these questions about the contents in general can help you decide if the owner of the web site gives time and attention to its general appearance and function. Logically, then, you may judge that the same level of care and attention is likely to be given to the accuracy, objectivity, and currency of the content. However, you must always add to this judgment a careful evaluation of individual documents before deciding on the quality of a web site.