Evaluating Web Pages by UC Berkeley
CRITERIA | Question 1 | Question 2 | Question 3 |
---|---|---|---|
Source | Is it clear who the author of the page is? | Is there contact information present? | What is the source of content? Books? Other web sites? |
Currency | When is the last revised or updated date? | Is it clear what is new content? | Are there a lot of "dead" or moved links? |
Scope | What range of topics are covered? | Who is the intended audience? Age/grade levels? | Is the focus comprehensive or narrow? |
Content | Is there a clear motivation/bias? | Is the information given similar to print? | Are references or sources given? |
Authority | What is the expertise of the author? | Who is the sponsor of the site? | Is the domain name ".edu"? ".org"? ".com"? |
CATEGORY | Scholarly | Trade | General |
---|---|---|---|
Author | researchers, scholars and experts | people in field, specialized journalists | journalists |
Length | longer, in-depth articles | some lengthy, mostly shorter articles | short, a few pages at the most |
Language | uses vocabulary of the discipline | uses the jargon of the field | simple, general vocabulary |
Publisher | university & scholarly presses, professional organizations | professional organizations and trade publishers | commercial and trade publishers |
Sources | footnotes & bibliographies alwaysincluded | usually cited, but not as extensive | generally not cited |
Graphics | charts, tables, almost no advertisements | some illustrations & ads related to the profession | lots of photographs and advertisements |
Intended Value | to share original research with the academic community and other scholars | trends, news and information for the field | current events, news, popular culture, and entertainment |
Examples | Foreign Affairs, Journal of Educational Psychology, American Economic Review | Farm Industry News, HR Magazine, Automotive News, Library Journal, Franchise Times | Time, Newsweek, People, US News & World Report |
(adapted from LOEX 2008 wiki)
Email Butler University Libraries
Irwin Library: 317-940-9227
Science Library: 317-940-9937
CAT: 317-940-8575