The World Wide Web offers a great wealth of information,
as well as the opportunity for people to express themselves and
exchange ideas. This makes it a potentially great place to
accomplish research on many topics. But putting documents or
pages on the Web is easy, cheap or free, unregulated and
unmonitored.
If you are using a Web-based source for a research paper,
you will need to develop skills to evaluate the credibility
and appropriateness of what you find. The following checklist
presents questions to ask to help determine whether a Web page is
a suitable resource for a research paper, or not.
Don't expect to be able to answer all the questions, all the time,
for all Web sites you look at. Rather, try to use the questions as
a tool to help you look at Web pages critically.
Click on the "So What" button for information about why it is
important to ask these questions.
Note: Javascript must be enabled for these buttons to
work.
Is there an author of the work? If so, is the author clearly identified?
Are the author's credentials for writing on this topic stated?
Is the author affiliated with an organization?
Does the site or page represent a group, organization, institution,
corporation or government body?
Is there a link back to the organization's page or a way to contact
the organization or the author to verify the credibility of the site
(address, phone number, email address)?
Is it clear who is responsible for the creation and/or maintenance
of the site or page?
Accuracy
Is this page part of an edited or peer-reviewed publication?
Can factual information be verified through footnotes or bibliographies
to other credible sources?
Based on what you already know about the subject, or have checked
from other sources, does this information seem credible?
Is it clear who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the
information presented?
If statistical data is presented in graphs or charts is it labeled clearly?
Look at the
Aspartame website and
ask yourself if the information seems credible and accurate.
Currency
Is there a date stating when the document was originally created?
Is it clear when the site or page was last updated, revised or edited?
Are there any indications that the material is updated frequently or
consistently to ensure currency of the content?
If there are links to other Web pages are they current?
Objectivity
Is the page free of advertising? If the page does contain advertising,
are the ads clearly separated from the content?
Does the page display a particular bias or perspective? Or is the
information presented factually, without bias?
Is it clear and forthcoming about its view of the subject?
Does it use inflammatory or provocative language?
Coverage
Is there any indication that the page is incomplete or that it is not
still under construction?
If there is a print equivalent to the Web page, is there clear
indication of whether the entire work or only a portion is available
on the Web?
Purpose
What is the primary purpose of the page? To sell a product?
To make a political point? To have fun? To parody a person, organization
or idea?
For examples of web site parodies see: Dihydrogen Monoxide
Feline Reactions to Bearded Men
Is the page or site a comprehensive resource or does it focus on a
narrow range of information?
What is the emphasis of the presentation? Technical, scholarly,
clinical, popular, elementary, etc.
Want to explore more sites about evaluating internet resources?
The Web is only one resource
that may assist you in your research needs.
Remember to consult other resources such as books and
journal articles.
Need help? Ask a librarian for assistance!
This page developed by Aleteia Greenwood and Professor Douw Steyn
Maintained by
Aleteia Greenwood
Head Librarian Science and Engineering, UBC Library
University of British Columbia
(604)822-0689
Please send questions and comments to
aleteia.greenwood@ubc.ca
