Evaluating Web Resources: What Makes a Credible Website?

Information on the internet is mostly unfiltered, requiring extra caution in selecting reliable sources. Virtually anyone can create a web site on a topic, regardless of their training, education, or experience in the subject field.  You may also find e-mail messages and newsgroup postings in your search results, as well as business-related or commercial sites, posted by companies whose primary purpose is to convince consumers of the value of their products or services. 
 
When evaluating a web site, check these basic points:  

• Author or contact person – usually located in the footer 
• Link to local home page – usually located in either header or footer 
• Institution – usually located in either header or footer 
• Domain – the last segment of the "root" of the URL (for example, http://www.berry.edu)
  
• Date of creation or revision – usually located in footer 
• Intended audience – determined by examining the body 
• Purpose of the information – determined by examining the body

The following PDFs provide more tools for evaluating websites. Use the checklist to help in critically analyzing a questionable website or blog.