This article is in two parts; please read How To Evaluate a Web Source - Is It Worthy of a Citation? first to understand why you should be wary of citing any old site on the Web. Here is a basic Web source evaluation checklist that you can use to determine if an Internet source is credible enough for an academic or research paper citation.
Who’s In Charge? Determine Authority
Determining the authority of any particular site is especially vital if you’re planning on using it as a source for an academic paper or research project. Ask yourself these questions about the website in question:- Is it absolutely clear which company or organization is responsible for the information on the site?
- Is there a link to a page describing what the company or organization does and the people who are involved (an “About Us” page)?
- Is there a valid way of making sure the company or organization is legit – meaning, is this a real place that has real contact information (email only is not enough)?
Are You Telling Me The Truth? Determine Accuracy
Eventually while you're on the Web, you will run into information that is not entirely true. In addition to determining the authority of a site, you also need to figure out if it’s presenting accurate information. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:- Can I easily figure out who wrote the information?
- Are all factual claims clearly substantiated, that is, are there cited (linked) sources?
- Are there any glaring grammatical and spelling errors? This could indicate that the content is not credible.
- How long ago was the page updated? Is there a date stamp on the article somewhere? You’ll need this especially if you’re using MLA-style citation.
- Can you verify the expertise of the author? Are the writer’s qualifications clearly stated somewhere on the site?
Are You Selling Me Something? Determine Motivation
Say for instance you’re researching power motor accidents. Information from the power motor industry would not necessarily be the most neutral of information sources. So in order to find a non-biased information source, you’ll need to determine neutrality. Ask yourself these questions:- Is there an overwhelming bias in the information? Does the writing seem fair and balanced? Or is the writing overly slanted towards a particular point of view?
- Is the URL appropriate to the content? You should be able to figure out from the site address who the site belongs to, since most organizations and businesses put their name in the URL. This is a good way to determine quickly if the site is legit for your purposes; for example, if you’re researching mad cow disease you probably don’t want to get information from the Beef Farmers of America.
- Are the ads clearly separated from the content?
