Community Partner

Is the information reliable?

YES

NO

Is the author an expert in their field?

Is the site sponsored by a reputable organization or expert?

Are the sources of information stated? Can you verify the information?

Is the author listed and can you contact the author for clarification?

Is the author biased?

Does the author present information you think is wrong?

Does some information contradict information you found elsewhere?

Is the information useful?

YES

NO

Is the information available in other formats?

Is it easy to recognize the purpose of the site?

Is the information fact or opinion?

Has the site been recently updated?

Does the site contain links to more information?

Format and presentation

YES

NO

Does the title of the page tell you what it is about?

Is the site easy to use?

Does the page take a long time to load?

Are there photographs or graphics and are they of good quality?

Can you be sure the photographs haven’t been changed? If you’re not sure, should you accept them as true?

Can you tell easily the target audience?

Is the site easily browsable or searchable?

Are there errors in spelling or grammar?

Accessibility

YES

NO

Are there dead links?

Is this a fee based site? Can non-members still access part of the site?

Must you register with a username and password before using the site?

Other tips

Check the header and footer for author information and date posted or updated

Is there a tilde ~ in the URL? This usually indicates a personal web directory rather than an organization’s web site

Compare the web site to others

Compare the information to that found in other sources (database, encyclopedia, book)

Is the information on the web site useful for your project? If not, what can you do next?