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Evaluating web pages requires you to do two things:

1. Training yourself in a series of techniques that will help you find out what you need to know about this site
2. Training yourself to think critically (suspiciously, even) by asking yourself questions about the pages you are looking at

Your mission: to rid your research of Searchgunk. (material found in search engine results that's irrelevant to the topic for which you're searching. Not necessarily useless, bad, or the result of search spamming -- just not relevant to what you're actually trying to find. (From the 3/26 ResearchBuzz Word of the Day <http://www.researchbuzz.org/archives/001556.shtml>)

• Reliability
  • To what extent can we count on the information provided?
  • Is the source trustworthy?
  • How did they come up with the information listed here?
  • Do they cite sources?
  • Did they follow good research procedures?
  • Do they have a bias? A reason to distort?
  • Is this advertising? An advertorial? What are they selling?
  • Example:
    • BeCalm'D
• Accuracy
  • Are these real numbers and facts?
  • Do they match reality?
  • How do we know they are real and on target?
  • Can I find the same information somewhere else?
  • Is the author up front about his purpose?
  • Does the author give credit to his sources?
  • Did the author include a bibliography? Take time to explore, especially if they are links. They may give you clues about the validity of this site, or more information about your topic.
  • Do the additional links on the page work?
  • Is there a way to contact the author (besides an email address)?
  • Look for links that say, "links," "additional sites," "related links," etc.
  • Examples:
    • Oncology Department
    • Tobacco Control Archives
• Authorship/Authority
  • Look for links that say, "About us," "Philosophy," "Background," "Biography," "Who am I," etc.
  • Is the document signed?
    • Go to the home page of the website hosting the document. Search for the author's name in the internal search engine or directory. (Works well on academic sites.)
    • Search for the author's name on a search engine (AltaVista, Google, Yahoo)
    • Do a "link:" search using a search engine such as Google or AltaVista
    • "Hail Mary" -- Use an email address finder.
  • Who REALLY published this?
    • Affiliation to a larger website.
    • Watermark or wallpaper.
    • Link to a home page.
    • Link to email a webmaster.
    • Clues in the address:
      • Go to the root address
      • Is this a personal page?
      • Check at http://www.whois.net
  • Break down the URL (Universal Resource Locator): The domain should be an appropriate fit for the content. Ask yourself what domain type would contain the most reliable information.
    • Common domain names:
      • .gov (government agency)
      • .net (internet service povider)
      • .com (commercial)
      • .edu (educational institutions)
      • . mil (military)
      • ~ (personal)
      • .org (organizations: charitable, religious, lobbying)
    • Sites for a more comprensive list of domain abbreviations
      • Domain Name Registries from around the world: http://www.norid.no/domenenavnbaser/domreg-alpha.html
    • A list of new domain names called TLDs, or, Top-Level Domains: http://www.internic.net/faqs/new-tlds.html
      
• Currency
  • How recent are the facts and figures?
• Does it matter?
• When was this page last updated?
• Example
  • CNN

• Fairness/Objectivity
• Is the material presented in a balanced manner?
• Is there bias or slanting in the reporting?
• Did they leave some information out?
• Did they focus only on the positive? The negative?
• Are additional links well chosen, well organized and/or annotated?
• Do the links work?
• Do the links present other viewpoints?
• Do the links (or absence, thereof) indicate a bias?
• Examples
  • Retail Tobacco Dealers of America
  • Consumer Reports Online
• Adequacy/Coverage/Clarity
  • Do they tell enough?
  • Do they provide sufficient data or evidence?
  • Do they go into enough detail and depth?

• Efficiency/Organization
  • Does this site download quickly or does it get bogged down in elements which prolong your search unnecessarily.
  • Can you navigate this site easily? Are links clearly defined?
  • Example:
    • MSN

• Business/Marketing Page
  • Sponsored by a commercial enterprise.
  • Address usually ends in .com.
  • Trying to sell or promote products.
  • Questions to ask yourself:
    • Is it clear what company is responsible for the contents of this page?
    • Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of this company? (phone number, address -- email address isn't enough!)
    • Has the company provided a link to outside sources that can be used to verify it's claims?
  • Example Sites:
    • No Smoke Home Page
    • Melatonin Central
• Informational Page
  • Examples: dictionary, thesaurus, directory, schedules, calendars, statistical data, reports, presentations of research, etc.
  • Person/company that owns the page doesn't have anything to gain or lose by this information
  • Questions to ask yourself:
    • Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of this page?
    • Are the sources of information clearly listed so they can be verified?
    • Is the information provided as a public service?
  • Example Sites:
    • Artchive
    • Dictionary.com
    • Chichuahua Standards
• Advocacy Page
  • Sponsored by an organization attempting to influence public opinion (sell ideas)
  • Example sites
    • Physicians for Social Responsibility
    • National Anti-Vivisection Society
    • Chihuahua Rescue
  • Questions to ask yourself:
    • Is it clear what organization is responsible for the contents of this page?
    • Is there a way to verify the legitimacy of this organization? (phone number, address -- just an email address isn't enough!)
    • Are the organization's view presented in a clear manner with well-supported arguments?
• Personal
  • Using one of the free web-authoring sites, such as Geocities, Angelfire, Yahoo, etc.
  • Affiliated with a larger institution (university/school)
  • A personal name (e.g., bowmanc), with a tilde(~), a percent sign (%), or the words "users," "members," or "people."
  • Questions to ask:
    • Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of this page?
    • Is there a way to verify the legitimacy of this individual?
    • Are the person's biases clearly stated?
  • Examples:
    • Introduction Page
• News
  • Primary purpose is to provide very current information
  • Newspapers, magazines, TV news, National news programs internet news sites (Yahoo News)
  • Questions to Ask:
    • Is there a non-Web equivalent of this material?
    • Is it clear who is ultimately responsible for the content of this material?
    • Are sources for factual information clearly listed so they can be verified?
  • Examples:
    • Hutchinson News
    • Wall Street Journal

• FLIP it!: Evaluating a Webpage
• Discovery School (Kathy Schrock)
  • Several guides listed here. Divided by grade level.
• Web Evaluation Webquest
• The Good, the Bad, the Ugly -- A Webquest
• Cyberbee
  • Several guides are found here. Guides are separated into content and design evaluations.
• Web Evaluation Guide
  • Developed by a librarian who has worked extensively with the Big 6 research model.
• HHS Library Web Evaluation Tool (Word Document)
• Elementary CCs for Evaluating Internet Sites
• Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools
• Evaluation Worksheet
  • This is a very detailed evaluation instrument, going on for several pages.
• 'NetCheck Website Evaluation Tool for Younger Students Grades K-3
• 'NetCheck Website Evaluation Tool for Students Grades 4-6
• 'NetCheck Website Evaluation Tool for Students Grades 7-9
• 'NetCheck Website Evaluation Tool for Students Grades 10-12
• Research Guide: Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources
• "Great Web Sites for Kids Selection Criteria" from ALA

• Mankato, MN Homepage
• Oklahoma Wine Producers
• Dihydrogen Monoxide Research
• California Velcro Crop
• Aluminum Foil Deflector
• Taxonomy of Barney
• Feral Flamingos of California
• Chihuahua Whisperer
• Women and AIDS
• Martin Luther King
• Clones-R-Us
• Research on the "Mayan Calendar"
• Time Travel Fund
• Jackalope Conspiracy
• Help Save the Northwest Tree Octopus
• OvaPrima Foundation
• Dehydrated Water

Sources

"Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask." UC Berkeley. <http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html>

"Evaluating Web Sites." Lesley University.
This site outlines questions and criteria, much like others. However, this site also gives examples to demonstrate each concept. <http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/research/evaluating_web.html>

"Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages." TELUS Learning Connection
This table is a reprint from an article that appeared in 1998. Criteria for five areas are listed: accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage. The column titled, "How to interpret the basics" is effective at asking relevant questions to get to the heart of the matter.
<http://www.2learn.ca/evaluating/div3netscheck2.html>

Grassian, Esther. "Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources." UCLA College Library.
This page has a list of questions to ask, using the criteria areas of content and evaluation, and source and date.
<http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/index.htm>

"Great Web Sites for Kids Selection Criteria." ALA/ALSC Great Web Sites for Kids.
This site is published by ALA and gives the criteria they use for their Great Web Sites for Kids collection. The target audience for these sites is students up to the age of 14.
<http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/greatwebsites/greatwebsitesforkids/greatwebsites.htm>

Henderson, John R. "ICYouSee: T is for Thinking." Ithaca College Library.
This is a lesson designed for college students, but I think high school students would benefit from seeing some of these sites, particularly the ones under the "Mayan Calendar" section.
<http://www.ithaca.edu/library/Training/hott.html>

Conclusion