Thinking Critically About Web Page Content

Evaluating Web Page Content

AUTHORITY-- Who is the author? What are their qualifications? Who is the publisher? What bias would you expect of this publisher if any? What reputation do these sources have?

Does the web site list the author of the page? Any mention of her/his credentials? Is there contact information?
By looking at the address of the site you should be able to determine if the site is:
Government site........look for .gov in the address
Commercial site........look for .com in the address
Education site.........look for .edu in the address
Network site...........look for .net in the address
Sometimes you need to go to the root of the address(everything before the first "/") to trace the source of authorship.
Sometimes it simply isn't there. You should also beware that within any given domain there is a wide range of quality, that both good and bad information can come from any domain. Seek a balance in your research that represents a broad range of opinion, and involvement in the issue.

For example, if you were researching whether or not the federal government should increase corporate avergae fuel economy standards(CAFE) for automobile manufacturers, you would want to seek out at least a couple of information producers from each of the domains. From .gov you might want to check on the EPA and the California Air Resources Board. You may also want to look at the positions of representatives that represent certain interests, eg. John Dingell from Dearborn(home of Ford Motor Co.) and Henry Waxman from Southern California(a spokesman for cleaning up their air). Even the .com can bring you a range of views from the auto companies, suppliers, insurance companies, etc. The non-profits .org will usually have the broadest array of interested parties from your Ralph Nader type groups and the American Lung Association to Motor Vehicle Manufactures Association and the American Petroleum Institute. While education based .edu domains may seem least biased, be careful on who might be funding the research being reported there.
In short, be skeptical and go in with yours eyes open!!

VERIFIABILITY-- Are the claims made verifiable? Are accurate, traceable sources of statements and statistics given? Are the statements made based upon first-hand knowledge or research or hearsay? Are unnamed sources used?

TIMELINESS--Is the information given current? When was the last time the page was updated? Are new sites or entries so designated? CAUTION!!! Being most recent does not guarantee that the information is more accurate, often it is not--think about the early news reports after the Oklahoma City bombing that lead everyone to believe the perpetrator(s) was/were Arab terrorist(s)!!

RELEVANCE--Is the material truly relevant? Are the authors trying to compare apples and oranges? Is the material full of broad generalizations that are not clearly substantiated?

BIAS--Is the language used loaded? Are points of view given that show a range of opinion? Are information producers from all stripes listed? Are the links only to sites of one or two segments of the issue? Are politically charged labels used frequently? Does the author resort primarily to emotional appeals?

ORDERLINESS--Is the page arranged in an order that makes sense? Can you identify the underlying assumptions? Are the points made throughout the page consistent?

CLARITY--Is the information clearly stated? Does the author use obscure language or fail to define important terms? Are statements ambiguous?

VALIDITY--Is the information given out of context? Are the data used compatible? Are there sufficient data to make a point? Are relevant data omitted? Do the facts as presented support the conclusion?

Citing Web Sites

Other Thoughtful Web Sites