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Evaluating Internet Sources

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AUTHORITY  Is it clear who sponsors the creation and maintenance of the page?
   Is there information describing the sponsor (its purpose, address, telephone number, etc.)
   Is it clear who developed and wrote the material? Is the author's professional or institutional affiliation given?
   Is the site cataloged or recommended by a reliable source, e.g., the Librarians' Index to the Internet.
   Is the information from a reputable university, library, organization or government agency?
   If the information is found on a commercial site, can you be fairly sure it is factual?

 

OBJECTIVITY  Does the author or sponsor of the site have a vested or commercial interest in the topic? Does the information seem biased?
   Is the information factual or opinion? If the information is opinionated, is that made clear?
   Is the information provided as a public service?
   Is there advertising on the page?
   If there is advertising, is it clearly separated from the informational content?

 

RELIABILITY  Is there a creation and/or revision date?
   Is there an e-mail address to contact the author or sponsor?
   Are there links back to the main page? Links to other pages within the site? Links to outside sites? Are most links in working order?

 

CAUTIONS  Be sure to copy the document's URL, the last revision date, and the date you found the document.
 You might want to print a hard copy of the document (or save it to disk) in case your professor wants some proof it existed if she can't find it again.


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For a more in-depth discussion of evaluating Internet sources, see the UNF Library's LIS1001 Notes - Evaluating Sources - A Checklist for Electronic Resources.

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