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Owl: Welcome to Evaluating a Website, an instructional video on reading comprehension brought to you by the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab. |
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There’s lots of information available on the internet. |
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But how do you know which information is reliable? |
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Not all websites are the same. |
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Some are more trustworthy than others. |
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Before you decide to trust the information you find on a website, you should evaluate it for accuracy and reliability first. |
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In this video, I’ll go over two ways to evaluate a website. |
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One way is to know what type of website you’ve found. |
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I’ll list the most common types of websites and describe what they do. |
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Another way to evaluate websites is by applying a set of ten questions to judge the accuracy and reliability of the site. |
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Let’s get started! |
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There are different types of websites. |
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I’ll go over eight of the most common types so that you have a better idea of what they do and which one is right for you. |
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I’ll give you a description and example for each one, plus the typical domain each one has. |
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The domain is indicated by the letters after the period at the end of the website address. |
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Ok, let’s go over the list! |
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The first type is government websites. |
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These websites are maintained by government agencies to provide information or services to the public. |
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Their typical domain is .gov. |
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An example is www.whitehouse.gov. |
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The next type is education websites. |
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These websites represent public or private institutions that provide educational services, such as schools and universities. |
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Their typical domain is .edu. |
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An example is www.excelsior.edu. |
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Another type of website is an organization website. |
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These websites represent groups with a specific mission, cause, or agenda. |
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They include advocacy groups, philanthropic organizations, and political parties. |
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Their typical domain is .org or .com. |
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An example is www.aclu.org. |
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Some websites are informational. |
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These websites provide information, such as facts, statistics, data, research studies, and collections. |
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These websites may include online encyclopedias, research databases, and archives. |
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Typical domains can include .edu, .gov, .org, .com, and .info. |
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An example is www.gutenberg.org, which is a free online archive of ebooks. |
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Other websites focus on providing news. |
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They provide information about local, national, and/or international current events. |
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Typical domains include .org, .com, or .info. |
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One example is www.nytimes.com. |
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Many websites fall in the category of social media. |
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These websites allow users to network, collaborate, or share information. |
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Their typical domain is .com. |
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One example is www.facebook.com. |
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Then there are personal websites. |
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These websites promote a specific person or their ideas. |
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These include online resumes and blogs. |
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Their typical domain is .com. |
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An example of a personal website is Bill Gates’ blog, which you can find at www.gatesnotes.com. |
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Finally, there are also many commercial websites. |
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These websites promote goods and services, such as online retail outlets and company home pages. |
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Typical domains include .com, .biz, and .info. |
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An example is www.amazon.com. |
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There are other types of websites, and many more sub-categories of websites. |
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Visit this Wikipedia article for a more complete list of website types: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website#Types_of_website |
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Knowing the type of website will give you a better idea of whether the information it offers is right for you. |
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However, you should also apply these ten questions to determine whether the information is trustworthy and reliable. |
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1. Is the website trying to sell or promote a particular product or service? |
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If yes, keep in mind that the information provided on the website may be skewed to help make the sale. |
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2. Is the website affiliated with an organization, group, or political party that has a particular point-of-view, ideology, or agenda? |
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If yes, be aware of what their point-of-view, ideology, or agenda is and how it may bias the information provided on the website. |
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3. Does the website provide the author’s name and credentials? |
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Anonymity can encourage authors to make unsubstantiated or inflammatory claims. |
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4. Does the website have an editor or editorial board? |
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If so, does it provide the editors’ names and credentials? |
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Information that is moderated by an editor or editorial board may be more reliable. |
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5. Does the website provide contact information for the author and/or editor? |
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The availability of contact information for the author and/or editor demonstrates greater responsibility for the information being shared. |
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6. Is the material on the website peer-reviewed? |
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Peer-review is the gold-standard for academic research because it helps to ensure that information is properly vetted by experts in the field for quality and accuracy. |
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7. Is the website maintained, affiliated with, or accredited by a reputable organization? |
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The reputation of an affiliated organization can provide clues about the value or accuracy of the information. |
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8. Does the material on the website contain biases, logical fallacies, misconceptions, assumptions, or unsubstantiated claims? |
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Evidence of these problems with argumentation are signs that the information may not be accurate. |
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Click here to learn more about how to evaluate an argument for problems such as unsupported claims, assumptions, and logical fallacies. |
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9. Does the material on the website offer citations to support claims? |
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Are the sources credible? |
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In general, websites that provide citations to support claims tend to be more reliable. |
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However, the sources of evidence also need to be evaluated for credibility by applying these ten questions. |
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10. Does the material on the website provide a list of works cited? |
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Providing a list of works cited is not only good form for information that includes research, it is also an invaluable resource for locating additional information on the subject. |
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Keeping these questions in mind as you locate and evaluate websites will help you to make the best decision about which information to trust. |
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Thanks for listening to this instructional video on Evaluating a Website! |
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Visit the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab for more support with reading and writing skills. |
