Website evaluating skills

1. Authority

1.1. Who wrote the article; who published it.

1.2. Does the author have any expertise on the topic your researching

1.3. What else has the author written on this topic

1.4. Have you ever seen or heard of this articles name before.

2. Sources

2.1. If the information is fact then it needs documentation

2.1.1. Does the author include citations,footnotes,and a bibliography.

2.1.1.1. bibliography- a list of the authors sources

2.1.2. Documentation is the proof or citation of sources that the author used in his article for information

3. Purpose

3.1. Why was the source written?

3.2. If you don't know why the source was written then how do yo know its a good source?

3.2.1. Is it trying to sell you something, Is it providing information?

3.3. Basically what is the source trying to do?

4. Evenness

4.1. Is the article you are using biased in anyway?

4.2. Is it presented objectively?

4.2.1. If the source is biased this does not mean you cant use it

4.2.2. Just look at some other sources for range and balance on your topic

4.2.3. Personally I would just try to stay away from them.

4.3. Is the bias acknowledged?

5. Timeliness

5.1. When was it written.

5.2. Look for up to date information( if you want an accurate article).

5.3. It also depends on what your topic is if you have a topic like world war 2 then you may not need up to date information

6. Coverage

6.1. How thoroughly is your topic covered?

6.2. Does the information support what you have found in other sources.

6.3. Does the source provide information that is good enough for your needs.