Intention / Objectivity

Why was this website created? What purpose does it serve?

‘ to inform ‘ to entertain ‘ to advertise ‘ to persuade ‘ to report news

‘ other: ____________________________________________

The website is: ‘ objective ‘ biased

If the information is opinion, is that clearly stated? ‘ yes ‘ no ‘ n/a

You should try to find several different perspectives, especially if your topic is controversial.

Authority

Who is the author of this site? _____________________________________________

Is contact information provided? ‘ yes ‘ no

Is the author an expert/authority on this subject? ‘ yes ‘ no

How can you tell? ___________________________________________

Based on the URL extension, what type of site is this?

‘.com – company ‘.gov – U.S. government ‘.edu – educational / universities

‘.mil – military ‘.org – any organization ‘.net – internet service provider

‘other: _______, which means: _________________________________

See http://www.cnet.com/Resources/Info/Glossary/Terms/domainname2.html for a complete list of extensions.

Does the information fit with what you already know? ‘ yes ‘ no

Does the information appear to be well researched / documented? ‘ yes ‘ no

Can you find a bibliography? ‘ yes ‘ no

Does the site have links to other quality sites on this topic? ‘ yes ‘ no

Can you find other sources that verify the information on this site? ‘ yes ‘ no

Can you tell when this site was created? ‘ yes ‘ no If yes, when? __________

When was the site last updated? __________

Are the links on this site still active? ‘ yes ‘ no

Is the information current for your topic? ‘ yes ‘ no (some topics change rapidly, others may never change)

Is the information relevant / appropriate for your project? ‘ yes ‘ no

Is the information presented in an attractive, easy to understand format? ‘ yes ‘ no

Is the site easy to navigate? ‘ yes ‘ no

Do you trust the information found on this site? ‘ yes ‘ no

Rate the quality and content of this site for your current project.

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