Strategies for Evaluating the General Outlook of a Web Site

Introduction

Consider the Purpose and Audience of a Source

Learn about the Author(s) of a Source

Who is the author, and what are his or her credentials?

Is the author a recognized authority?

With what institutions or organizations is the author affiliated?

In what ways does the author’s biases affect the source?

What if a source doesn’t identify its author?

Learn about the Publisher of a Source

Strategies for Evaluating the General Outlook of a Web Site

Strategies for Evaluating the General Outlook of Periodical

Consider the Accuracy and Balance of Evidence in a Source

Consider the Publication Date of a Source

Consider the Role a Source Can Play in Your Paper

Consider the Role of Primary and Secondary Sources

Consider the Level of Specialization of a Source

Consider the Medium in Which a Source is Published

Questions to ask about Print Sources

Questions to ask about Electronic Sources

Questions to ask about Field Sources

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Authors & Contributors

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Strategies for Evaluating the General Outlook of a Web Site

Back to Learn About the Publisher

More than any other kinds of sources, information on Web sites and periodicals is likely to reflect a publisher's bias. To learn about the publisher of a Web site, try to locate a disclaimer. Look as well for a links to "site information" or "about this site." If you are visiting a site sponsored by an organization or agency, find out whether a mission statement is provided. Finally, consider related sites on the Internet that the Web site links to. Since sites tend to link to other sites that they find useful or that generally agree with their particular outlook, following these links can help give you an idea of the general outlook of a Web site.