1.1. Look for the sponsoring agency and the authors.
1.2. Who wrote it?
1.3. Who published it?
1.4. The top level domains of the web site's URL can give you a clue to the site's purpose.
2. P: Purpose
2.1. Mission statements
2.2. Why was this source written?
2.3. Look for mission or purpose statements, typically in a link called about us.
3. S: Sources
3.1. Are facts and statistics documented?
3.2. What documentation does the author provide?
3.3. When using facts, you should hold web sites to the same standards of documentation as books and journal articles.
4. T: Timeliness
4.1. Is the site current and up to date?
4.2. When was it written?
4.3. Sometimes websites have articles that are individually dated. If these dates are current, you have a clue that the site maintained and updated on a regular basis.
5. E: Evenness
5.1. Only one side or a balanced perspectives
5.2. Is there an equal treatment of perspectives?
5.3. Determining objectivity and bias can be difficult on web sites, since many web sites are not upright about these areas.
6. C: Coverage
6.1. Is it what you need?
6.2. How thoroughly is your topic covered?
6.3. Everything you've learned so far will help determine if a web site is one you can trust and use in your research.
