Source Evaluation Worksheet
Title of the Website:
URL:
Search Tool Used to Find the Website (i.e. Google Advanced, Sweet Search, etc.):
1. Accuracy
A. What group or person is responsible for the website?
B. Can you find contact information for that group or person? Yes No
C. What is the purpose of the website? Is the website intended to advocate, sell, slander, inform, or educate, etc.? Is it ironic, i.e. a satire or parody? How can you tell what its purpose is?
2. Authority
A. What type of domain name does the website have?
.com .edu .gov .org .net
Or, does it have some other domain?
B. Is the author or organization a qualified source? What credentials or affiliations are listed on the website to show evidence of authority?
3. Objectivity
You might want to refer to your answer for 1C to help you with the following questions.
A. Who is the intended audience for the website (i.e. student, professional, general, etc.)? What helped you decide who the intended audience is?
B. Does the website have a bias? If so, describe the position it presents on the issue?
C. If it appears the website has a bias, give an example of the loaded language that helped you recognize it.
D. Are the statements, opinions, and/or statistics given on the website supported with references? Give an example.
4. Currency
A. When was the website updated last?
B. Is the information on the website out-of-date? If the information on the website is out-of-date, give an example.
C. Do the links appear to be working? And, are they related to the topic/s of the website?
5. Coverage
A. Can you obtain information on this website for free or is there a fee? Free Fee
B. Does the content of this website address one or more of your research questions in sufficient detail to meet your information need?
Yes No
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