Evaluating+Online+Sources

=﻿Always EVALUATE your online sources before you print them or take notes from them. Do NOT believe everything you read online.=

=__﻿Ask yourself the following questions:__=

Who created this website?
– .com, .org, .gov, .edu
 * Who designed this web page?
 * What are the person or organization’s credentials?
 * Is the site professional-looking and free of obvious errors?
 * What is the domain name?

What is the purpose of this website?

 * To educate or inform?
 * To sell something?
 * To persuade you to believe something?
 * Can you tell fact from opinion?

What content is included?
=__Things to remember:__=
 * Are both sides of an issue presented?
 * Is the site current? Look for a date.
 * Does the site have information you have seen in print sources?
 * Does the site have a lot of information, or is it limited in details?
 * Authorship – who created this site?
 * Purpose – what is the purpose of this site? What do the creators want me to do?
 * Content – does it have legitimate information I’ve seen in other print and online sources?
 * Currency – how old (or new) is this site?

American University Library's Information Literacy Tutorial on evaluating all types of information: []