Websites can provide some of the most current information about a topic. However, websites must be evaluated more thoroughly than peer-reviewed articles. There is no review process on the open web, so you are much more likely to run into misinformation. Ask yourself the following questions to help evaluate a web source:
- Who is the author? Are qualifications or credentials listed? Is contact information provided? You can find additional information about the author with a quick web search.
- When was the information posted? Is the information still up-to-date? Does the site contain a lot of broken links?
- Is the information accurate? (Compare to other sources.) Are sources cited?
- What is the purpose of the site: To inform? To sell a product or service? To persuade? To entertain?
- Is the information obviously biased? Does it present different points of view?
- What is the level of language? Easy enough for a child? Generally understood by an adult? Scholarly? Technical?