When it comes to research, there is a lot of stuff out there on the Web. Some of it is incredibly valuable and useful, and some of it... well, not so much. And unfortunately, it's not always obvious which is which!
How do you know if something is appropriate to use for your individual research needs? Approach each site with a critical eye, and look for the answers to the following questions:
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AUTHORITY:
- Who is the page content/author(s)?
- Can you contact the author?
- Is this person qualified to write this content? Why?
- Who published this site? (Is there an institutional affiliation?)
- What type of domain is this site hosted on? (.com, .org, .gov, etc.)
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OBJECTIVITY:
- Why is this page on the web? (To inform- with facts, data, etc? To explain? To persuade? To sell?)
- Can you find any author bias on the site?
- Who is the audience for this site?
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CURRENCY:
- When was this site produced?
- When was it last updated?
- How up-to-date are the links?
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QUALITY:
- How
well does the author support the content on this site? (Are there
citations? Links to additional information? Are these citations/links
accurate and/or up-to-date?)
- How complete is the content?
- How does this information compare with other works written about this topic?
- What value does this page have? Was it worth the time you spent navigating? Does this site offer anything informative, unique, or insightful?
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