Evaluating Websites
The World Wide Web was originally designed as a medium to exchange scientific and military research data. Today we can get a lot of information instantly by using directories and search engines.
But the quality information we need for education and research is found on the invisible web. The invisible web is the fastest growing part of the web and is not usually searched by the most common directories and search engines.
The ability to critically evaluate information is an important skill in today's information age. The next few pages will show you some tips for evaluating information you find on the Web.
One common error is to use only one criteria when evaluating a website. You can't judge a website only on the basis of whether it's a .org site or when it was updated. Use as many of the techniques on the following pages as you can when evaluating websites.
The Web has leveled the playing field so that scholars, researchers, average Joes, and even idiots can make anything and everything a few mouse clicks away!
