Authority

• Name of the author/creator is readily found on the site as well as their credentials
• Author is a teacher or student of the subject
• Site is sponsored by an organization
• Homepage of an individual is usually indicated by ~
• Contact information is available (email address, or mailing address)
• Domain name (edu, com, org, gov) tells something about the source

Purpose of Site

• The purpose of the site is to inform
• The purpose is to teach
• The purpose is to sell
• The purpose is to persuade
• The purpose is to entertain
• The purpose is to enlighten

Content

• Content is comprehensive in scope
• No bias is apparent
• Information can be easily verified by references on the site
• Information can be easily verified through your own knowledge or from independent sources
• Information is readily available elsewhere

Currency

• Information has been posted recently
• Information has been recently revised (check at top or bottom of page)

Ease of Use

• Webpage is easy to find
• Webpage is easy to navigate
• Archives are available
• No fees are required
• Links to other sites are useful
• You are comfortable using site for research paper

Prepared by Linda Stern, Reference Librarian Mass Bay Community College from the Boston Globe