Web Site Evaluation Check List
Questions to Ask About a Web Page

Note: The greater number of questions listed below answered "yes", the more likely it is you can determine whether the source is of high information quality.

Criterion #1: AUTHORITY

Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page?
Is there a link to a page describing the purpose of the sponsoring organization?
Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of the page's sponsor? That is, is there a phone number or postal address to contact for more information? (Simply an email address is not enough.)
Is it clear who wrote the material and are the author's qualifications for writing on this topic clearly stated?

Criterion #2: ACCURACY

Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed so they can be verified in another source?
Is the information free of grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors? (These kinds of errors not only indicate a lack of quality control, but can actually produce inaccuracies in information.)
Is it clear who has the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of the content of the material?
If there are charts and/or graphs containing statistical data, are the charts and/or graphs clearly labeled and easy to read?

Criterion #3: OBJECTIVITY

Is the information provided as a public service?
Is the information free of advertising?
If there is any advertising on the page, is it clearly differentiated from the informational content?

Criterion #4: CURRENCY

Is there a date to show when the page was written?
Is there a date to show when the page was first placed on the Web?
Is there a date to show when the page was last revised?
Are there any other indications that the material is kept current?
If material is presented in graphs and/or charts, is it clearly stated when the data was gathered?

Criterion #5: COVERAGE

Is there an indication that the page has been completed, and is not still under construction?
If there is a print equivalent to the Web page, is there a clear indication of whether the entire work is available on the Web or only parts of it?
If the material is from a work which is out of copyright (as is often the case with a dictionary or thesaurus) has there been an effort to update the material to make it more current?

Last updated March 4, 2005

Michelle Powers
Library Media Specialist
Mission High School
San Francisco, California
mpowers1000@sbcglobal.net

Check list information from Wolfgram Memorial Library
by Jan Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate