Research Basics

Anyone can publish anything on the Web. With no editor or peer review process between the author and a published document, it is best to approach information on the Web with caution.  Evaluating Web documents becomes a critical task when using Web sites for research.  This library guide will give you criteria for evaluating Web-based resources.

• Authority:  Who created the Web page?  Is the author/creator identified?  Why was the Web page created?  What does the URL domain indicate? (.gov for government, .edu for education, .com for commercial, .org for organizations)

• Accuracy:  Is the information reliable?  Is there documentation of sources?  Are there typos and mistakes in layout?

• Objectivity:  Is the content biased?  Are you asked to donate or support a cause?  Does the page have advertising?

• Currency:  Is the page dated?  When was the last update?  Are there clickable links which have expired or no longer work?

• Content:  Was the page created for the Web or was it originally a print source?  Are there a lot of flashy graphics?  Is the presentation mostly fact or mostly opinion?  Is there a bibliography and/or footnotes?

This guide is based on information from the Western Oregon University Hamersly Library CLIP Project.  Hamersly Library has made the tutorials available for adaptation via Creative Commons NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.