Evaluate websites by considering the following questions:
Who is responsible for the website?
- .edu = educational institution
- .gov = government site
- .org = organization or association
- .com = commercial site
- .museum = museum
- .net = personal or other site
Who is the author of the site?
- What are the credentials of the author or organization?
- Is there a contact address?
- Is there an "about," "background," or " philosophy" link?
Is there a clear purpose or reason for the site?
- Does the homepage give information on the purpose of the sponsoring organization?
- Does the site present a non-biased, balanced approach?
What is the origin of the document?
- Is it a scanned document?
- Is it a transcribed document?
- Are there links to external documents?
Is the content organized and accessible?
- Are pages legible with clear explanations?
- Are the navigational aids easy to understand?
- Are there clear instructions about software requirements?
Is there a fee for use?
Citations: See the following websites for information and examples of the format of primary source citations.
