Reading response

Author (Authority)

· Who is the author?

· What are the author's credentials?

· Check for the author's name in the site's header or footer.

· Look for a biography or resume for the author.

· Check for links to the site's Home page, About Us.

· Check author's affiliation: organization, government agency, or college/university?

· Check through the sponsor's or Web designer's e-mail address to obtain information about the author.

· Check through links to the site's Home page, About Us

Site's Sponsor/ Publisher

· Who is the site's sponsor?

· The last three letters of the URL can give you a clue about the site's sponsor.

· .com = commercial businesses

· .mil = US military

· .gov = U S government agencies

· .edu = educational institutions

· .org = nonprofit groups

· .net = network related organizations

· Check the site's header or footer.

· Check for links to the site's Home page, About Us.

· Check the site's domain through its Web address (URL)

Purpose

· What is the purpose of the resource?

· Who is its intended audience?

· Inform: popular subject or scholarly

· General audience

· Persuade: balanced or biased

· Informed reader

· Entertain

· Scholar

· Sell a product

· Professional in the field

Accuracy

· Is the information accurate?

· Does the author refer to other works?

· Does the author support his/her arguments?

· Look for a bibliography (references) that is included in the Web site.

· Is the information refereed/peer reviewed?

Timeliness

· When was the source published?

· Is the information still relevant?

· Look for the date of publication in the web site's header or footer.

· When was the site last revised?

Suitability

· Does the resource have the information you need?

· Is the material written at a level you can understand?

· Does the site have a table of contents?

· Is the information too general?

· Read through some of the text.

· Is the information too technical?

Uniqueness

· Is the information available elsewhere in print or electronic format?