Evaluating Web Sources This tutorial is intended to help you evaluate websites along with other material.
	Not only do you need to evaluate websites, but also print and non-print material. The principles taught in this tutorial can be applied to other materials as well. We will only be going over how to evaluate a website in this tutorial.
QUESTION: This is a page I found on the web. How do I know if it is reliable?
http://www.breastcancer.org/prevention.html
ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1 -  WHO IS THE AUTHOR?
	Example: Breastcancer.org is responsible for creating this website. Who created the website? Who is responsible for the website? It is a person, university, or corporation? You can find this out by looking at the domain suffix, (i.e. .com, .gov, .edu, .org).
Domain Suffixes:
	.edu - EDUCATIONAL Reliable? YES Watch out for: STUDENT PAGES .gov - GOVERNMENT Reliable? YES Watch out for: BIAS .org - ORGANIZATIONS Reliable? YES Watch out for: BIAS .com - COMMERCIAL Reliable? CAN BE Watch out for: FALSE INFORMATION If you are evaluating a web page, you may need to go back to the home page of the website to find out who created it to see if the author is reliable.  This information can also be found at the bottom of the homepage with the copyright date.
2 -  DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE AUTHOR?
	Example:  No, I don't recognize the author.  However, the website listed a brief description of the organization, it's mission, and professional advisory board. They also listed the biographies of the people and doctors who contributed to the information provided on the website. It is important to know who is responsible for the information on a website. If you do not recognize the author, you may need to do some research to find out who they are.  The "About Us" link will tell you who the author is and should give you enough information to decide whether this author is reliable or not. However, you still may need to do more research. Always question the reliability until you know who is responsible for the website.
3 -  DOES THE WEBSITE CITE THEIR SOURCES?
	Example: The articles on the "Prevention" listed the contributors names who were responsible for the information. The type of information you are looking for on the web will determine whether you need to see if the website provides references to their information. You need to ask yourself, "How do I know this information is accurate?" You need to ask yourself this question particularly with medical websites. If you can't answer this question, the website may not be reliable.
	Because the contributors had authoritative credentials, the information seems credible. However, the website would be more reliable if sources for the information were listed.
4 -  DOES THE AUTHOR/CREATOR PROVIDE CONTACT INFORMATION?
	Example: The address for breastcancer.org is given at the bottom of each page of the website. A reliable organization, corporation, government agency, or educational institution should always provide contact information. Sometimes this information is found under the link "About Us", but is usually found under the "Contact Us" link.  If this information is not provided for any of these types of websites, the reliability of these institutions should be questioned.
5 -  DOES THE WEBSITE GIVE A DATE IT WAS CREATED OR UPDATED?
	Example: Yes, the "Prevention" page had a recent date, which is good because this is a health related web page. The topic of the website will determine whether the date is important. Health related websites need to be frequently updated to include the most current information. When you are citing a website, you will need the date of when the website was created or updated. Unfortunately, there are a lot of times the date is not provided (this includes reliable websites too!).
6 - DOES THE WEBSITE PROVIDE BROAD COVERAGE OF THE TOPIC?
	Example: Yes, this website did not only provide information about prevention of breast cancer, it also provided information about diagnosis, treatment, recovery options, and support groups. It is always good to have some background information from a reliable source (i.e. encyclopedia) before looking on the Internet for information. The website should cover a range of related topics, not just the topic you are searching. Once you are knowledgeable about the topic you are searching for, you will then know whether a website has broad coverage and reliable information about the topic.
	Created by Tracy Ruppman and Victoria West-Pawl 10/25/04-tjr/vwp