Evaluating Information Found On the Web

Assuming you've located a document you'd like to cite in a paper, here are the steps you should follow to evaluate the information for accuracy and reliability:

1. Evaluate the site.

Look first at the site on which the document is located. Who is the sponsor of the site? Are there lots of pictures? This could be a hint that the site is not scholarly in nature. The URL (or address) for a site offers quite a few clues. Check the domain for starters. A .com site will often feature ads. Does the document you obtained support those ads? A .org site often has a biased point of view. If the information you have located strongly supports that point of view, be cautious. Sites with .gov in the URL will often give reliable statistics, as will .us sites for state governments. Many .edu sites offer educational research but often also provide space for faculty and students to express their personal ideas. If you found your document in an index on the UNLV Libraries' Web site (www.library.unlv.edu), you can be confident that your information is the same as the print equivalent.

2. Evaluate the document.

There are five common criteria for evaluating material found on the Web.

•  Authority . Can you determine who wrote it? Is there an email address given so that you may contact the author? Can you determine the author's credentials and/or affiliation?

•  Authenticity . Are the sources well documented? Is there a bibliography? Is there any evidence that the document is forged or altered?

•  Appropriateness . Try to discover the intended audience for this document. Is it too technical or too elementary for your research?

•  Timeliness . Can you determine the date the document was written or published? Is the information too dated?

•  Objectivity . Why do you think the author published this information? To argue a position? To sway others to a particular point of view? To explain or to report events? To inform and give facts and data?

Because of the vast amount of information available on the Web, every document you select must be evaluated before you can use the information for your research with confidence. With a little practice, however, you'll find yourself able to apply the checklist and insure that you are using quality resources. Remember to accurately cite every Web resource you use.