1. Is the information on this site appropriate
for use in a school assignment?
Evaluating Websites

2. Before using any information from a
website in an assignment, make sure
that your instructor allows the use of
websites as resources.

3. Are the site and the information on it credible?
Credible:
able to be believed or trusted
(Cambridge Dictionaries Online)

4. Anyone can create a website
so it is important to be able to
assess the quality of
information on the site.

5. When
evaluating
the
information
on a
website,
look for:
the source
of the
information
(authority)
the reason
the
information
exists
(purpose)
the date it
was
created or
last
updated
(currency)
the origin
of the
information
(accuracy)

6.  Authority
Consider the
source.
Who is the
author of the
information?
Who has created
and sponsored
the website?
Is there contact
information for
the website’s
creator/sponsor?

7. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an internationally
recognized and respected governmental organization. It is a good
bet that the information on this website is reliable.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(www.cdc.gov)

8. Author’s Credentials?
What academic degrees
does the author have?
Where does he or she
work?
What institutions is he or
she affiliated with?

9. Authors’ Credentials
Doctor of
Philosophy
Doctor of
Medicine
Master of
Public
Health
This publication was originally reviewed by David G. Marrero, Ph.D.,
Indiana University School of Medicine, Diabetes Research and
Training Center, and Michael L. Parchman, M.D., M.P.H., associate
professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University
of Texas Health Science Center.
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/riskfortype2/index.aspx

10. Why has the information on
a website been provided?
What is the intent of the
creator(s) of the site and the
author(s) of the
information?
 Purpose

11. To
inform?
To
persuade?
To
educate?
To
entertain?
What is the site’s purpose?

12. Some well-known
Internet domains
.com for
commercial
entities
.org for
organizations
such as non-
profits
.edu for
educational
institutions
.gov for
governmental
entities and
agencies.
Different types of websites
have different purposes.

13. .com sites (commercial sites) encourage
you to use their products and services or
try to sell you something
For example,
GameStop.com
offers a variety of
video games,
consoles, and other
gaming products.

14. .org sites are
developed by a
variety of
organizations such
as nonprofits,
communities, and
some educational
entities
.org sites
educate,
inform, and
even
persuade.

15. For your assignments, .edu
(educational) and .gov
(government) websites often are
the best sources of information
since they usually focus on research
and academic work.
.edu
.gov

16. Currency refers to the timeliness or recency of
the information.
When was the information created?
Has the information been updated?
 Currency

17. On this site, created
by the American Lyme
Disease Foundation,
you can see that the
information was last
updated on July 13,
2013.

18. Has the page been
maintained and
updated?
Do links still work?
In certain subject areas
such as science,
technology, and law, the
currency of information
is more important than in
other fields.

19.  Accuracy
Are there
errors on
the page?
Can you
verify that
the
information
is reliable
by using
other
resources?
Is the
information
factual or is
it
someone’s
opinion?
Can you
detect bias
or
partiality?

20. Look for words that indicate whether
an article is fact or opinion.

21. Remember…
it is up to you to determine the
purpose of the site and to decide
whether the information is
appropriate to use in your
assignment.

22. If you have questions or need further
information, please contact a PCC librarian at
(252) 493-7360 or e-mail us at
pittref@email.pittcc.edu.