Criteria for the evaluation of web based materials.

Some of the basic criteria for evaluation of web-based materials include: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, coverage, content, resources, and presentation. These criteria are important to consider when evaluating sites for personal, professional, and educational investigation and should be used by educators and students when using and/or creating Internet or web resources.

Here are some questions/information to consider:

• Is the author someone I have heard of or someone who was recommended or cited in a valid resource?
• Is the page sponsored by a reputable organization?
• Is the information reliable? This may be difficult to determine if the topic or subject is new to the reader.
• Does it address the topics of interest?
• How deep does the information, analysis or thought go based on the needs of the audience? Is the site appropriate only to present facts or to encourage new ideas and arguments?
• Is the content appropriate for me, my colleagues, friends or students, depending on the audience?
• Is the information presented in an objective or unbiased manner?
• Who are the advertisers and how might they influence the information?
• Is the information up to date, how often is the site updated?
• Are the links current?
• Is the information presented error free?
• Is the site attractive and engaging?
• Is the site interactive?
• Are sources and related resources provided on the site?
• Ultimately, is the information provided useful?

Now many of these questions are answered with little work on the part of the reader/visitor to the site. Others require deeper analysis and thought. Some determinations come from initial exposure and others may come after completely reading, revisiting, discussing and comparing the source to others. The evaluating of web-based resources is an ongoing exercise and one that must be presented to, modeled for, and taught to students through various web based learning activities.

The sources I used to compose this post were: Evaluation Criteria from "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly or Why is it a good idea to evaluate web resources, Evaluation of Information Sources, and Evaluating Web Resources.

I am sure there are other criteria that I overlooked or may not know. What additional criteria do you use when evaluating web-based resources or what criteria do you find most important? What strategies do you use to help students evaluate these resources?