Evaluating Internet Resources Worksheet
Type of Page
- On what type of page is this information located?
- Advocacy? (Does it represent a single point-of-view to which the author(s) would like you to subscribe?)
- Commercial? (Are the parties responsible for putting the page up trying to sell something?)
- Informational? (Is this a government site disseminating information important to citizenship for its contituency? Does it represent the voice of an independent individual or a company?)
- A news source? (Many new agencies and networks now publish on the Web.)
- A personal Web page? (Many people use the Web as a personal calling card or virtual resume. Most are intended to reflect the interests of an individual.)
- Take a look at this chart for other types of pages.
Authority
- What are the credentials of the individual(s) responsible for the information on this page? On this site? (Remember the skills you exercised in your Evaluating Sources assignment.)
- Can you locate the author in any other non-Web information sources?
- In what other types of resources has the author published? (Books, journals? Refereed?)
- Are others citing the author's work?
- What issues does the author generally address? Does this page fall comfortably within the range of those issues, or is this article an anomaly?
Content
- How comprehensive is this site?
- What are the link selection criteria if any?
- Are the links relevant and appropriate for the site?
- Is the site inward-focused, pointing outward, or both?
- Are the links comprehensive or do they just provide a sampler?
- What do the links offer that is not easily available in other sources?
- Is the information presented with a minimum of bias?
- To what extent is the information trying to sway the opinion of the
audience?
- Is the content of the work up-to-date?
- Is the publication date clearly labeled?
- What is the relative value of the Web page in comparison to the range of information resources available on this topic?
- Where do the views/arguments articulated on this page reside within the appropriate disciplines?
- What other resources (print & non-print) are available in this area?
- What are the date(s) of coverage of the site and site-specific documents?
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