Criteria for evaluating and filtering websites

¶ … Internet, it is important to keep in mind that a vast amount of information is posted via this medium, and that authorship can be claimed by anyone with a connection to the Web. Hence, the type of information is widely diverse, and not least in terms of quality. When searching the Internet for academic purposes, it is therefore vital to evaluate the information found using criteria that would reveal the quality and usability of the information for academic purposes.

The Olin & Uris Libraries (2010) Web site suggests that two factors should play an important role in determining and using evaluation criteria: the user context and the Web context. In terms of the first, the user's purpose will determine his or her evaluation and selection results, while the Web context suggests that, while scholarly work tends to have fewer graphic elements than their less formal counterparts, they generally include more graphics than print sources.

Elliott (2009) lists six criteria that might be useful in evaluating Web sites. These include: Authority, Purpose, Coverage, Currency, Objectivity, Accuracy. In constructing my own criteria, these will serve as a valuable guideline. The five criteria that I have chosen to select Web sites for my investigation include: Relevance, Academic Quality, Content Type and Features, Internal Links and Navigation, External Links to other information.

The first important guide towards selecting a Web site for my purpose is therefore the relevance of the site topic. I want information on a specific topic. The match between the information on the site and my topic will serve as my first selection criterion. This is important, because I need specific information; the nature of my research requires information to be focused and relevant to the research I am conducting. This will then also involve a consideration of my research purpose.

My second guideline, academic quality, relates closely to the purpose of my research. I want academic information, and the Web site should therefore satisfy the requirements of an academic source. This would include the criteria of Authority, Currency, and Objectivity, as noted by Elliott (2009), as well as Citations, as suggested by Shrock (2009). Academic sources generally have an author with credible qualifications, or who is affiliated with a certain institution. Furthermore, the information must be reasonably current and objective. Unqualified bias is generally not acceptable in academic writing. Finally, citations will show me that the author has not simply written down his or her opinions, but has consulted other works.

In terms of content type and features, Schrock suggests a focus on knowledge and the possibility of misinformation. The latter can be eliminated by a deeper investigation into the author's citations and credentials. In terms of knowledge, I could question whether the author truly contributes to academic knowledge in general, and to my requirement for knowledge in particular. Elliot's "Accuracy" criterion is also important in this regard.

The site's usability and navigability (Shrock, 2007) are also important criteria. This refers to the internal links of the site to extra information or more information regarding a specific element in the main text. This serves the same purpose as footnotes or appendices in academic print documents. This information can also be scrutinized for academic quality.