Criteria for Evaluating Sources

Authority

• Is the author/organization responsible for the content reputable?
• Is the author/organization qualified in the subject matter being discussed (do they have a degree in the content area of the material)?

Accuracy & Point of View

• Are facts rather than opinion presented?
• Are there any biases present?
• Is the author's point of view clear and supported by facts that can be verified by other sources?
• Is the purpose of the material to persuade, explain, or inform?

Currency

• Is the information current? (Especially important when looking at medical or technology related topics and other fields that experience dramatic change in a short time frame.)
• Is there a copyright date?

Audience

• Is the audience identified immediately?
• Is the purpose made clear immediately?
• Is the content appropriate for the audience (not too technical or too informal)?
• Is the reading level appropriate for the audience?
• Are the graphics, and organization of the work appropriate for the audience?

Format/Appearance

• Is the material designed well?
• Is the material well organized (contain table of contents, indexed, flow in a logical manner)?
• Are the graphics, tables, timelines, maps appropriate?
• Is the text well written?
• Is the information where you would expect to find it?

  Examples of Evaluation Forms for Internet Sites

• Website Evaluation Criteria Form (Tulsa City-County Library 1998)
• Web Page Evaluation Form (East Central 1999)
• Web Page Evaluation Form (American Library Association 1998)
• Elementary Web Page Evaluation Form (Kathy Schrock's 1996) PDF version
• Middle School Web Page Evaluation Form (Kathy Schrock's 1996) PDF version
• Secondary Web Page Evaluation Form (Kath Schrock's 1996) PDF version

 

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